LOZ: Spirits of Alana
by Little Lady Kunimitsu
Summary: After an angry spirit attacks his village, Link has to travel to the land of spirits where he can find salvation to his homeland of Hyrule. Zelink later on. BEING RE-DONE!
1. Fangs of the Cursed Spirit

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Legend of Zelda. So please…don't sue me.**

**A/N: Alright now! I started this series because I was bored and felt like this has been a good idea. It's been a while since I actually had an idea! There will be some Zelink later on, so please, be patient. Without anymore wait, I bring you the Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana.**

* * *

**_The Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana_**

**_Chapter One: Fangs of the Cursed Spirit_**

* * *

In the land of Hyrule, there was a small village known as Ordona. This village was peaceful, undisturbed by monsters and curses, for this village was protected by a powerful spirit. For countless years, this was untouched, thanks to this spirit. The villagers were content and happy with their quiet life.

From the woods of Faron, came a handsome young man on the back of a Belgian horse. As he crossed the bridge, he looked at the setting sun. The bright ball of fire was just sitting over the horizon. The horse stopped, snorted and pawed at the wood of the bridge.

The young man looked at his horse, smiled lightly, and patted the horse's soft neck. "Don't worry, Epona," The young elf reassured the mare. "We'll be home soon."

Epona shook her head and moved onward. The wooden boards of the bridge creaked with each step the horse took.

Soon, the young man arrived in front of his house. He jumped off Epona and slowly unsaddled her. Epona munched at a small patch of grass in front of her. The young man sighed and placed the saddle on the ground next to the ladder, used to get to the front door, vowing that he would put it away later. After that, he walked to an old tree and sat under it, resting his head on the trunk. He watched his horse eat, as well as drift off occasionally in a daydream.

Suddenly, Epona's head shot up, ears perked forward. The young man noticed and stood up, looking at the same direction of the horse. Now, both he and Epona were gazing at a white wolf that sat in the middle of the path that led to the village. The creature looked very unusual. The wolf was larger than a normal wolf, almost about the size of Epona. It was lean and nicely built it gazed at the horse, and then at the young man. He looked into the wolf's piercing red eyes. He slowly pulled out his wooden sword from the sheath on his back.

"Please, get out of here, beast from not of these parts," the young man muttered, not letting down his guard as he looked at the wolf. "We will not hurt you if you leave peacefully."

Instead of fleeing or charging at him, the wolf's eyes glinted with amusement. The beast rose to its paws, took one last look at the young man and walked towards the village. The young man gasped and chased after it.

Then, when he arrived at the center of the village, he looked around. The wolf had disappeared. The young man took a sigh of relief and out his wooden sword back into its sheath.

"Wonder where it went," He questioned as he turned his back and headed down the path.

"Hey! Link!" Someone called out.

The young man turned around and saw that it was his teacher, Rusl. The young man turned around and cocked his head to the side.

"Um…hello, Rusl," He greeted. "Did you see that wolf?"

Rusl raised a brow. "A wolf? Link you must be dreaming of things."

Link looked at him and shook his head. "Um…yeah."

"Well, Link, I came to tell you something," Rusl continued. "I want you to come to the castle city with me."

Link looked at Rusl with excitement shining in his eyes. "Really? You want to bring me?"

Rusl smiled and nodded. "Uh-huh. We are going to tomorrow to present a gift to the royal family and I wanted you to come. Are you still up for it?"

Link nodded. Rusl nodded back. "Good. You might even meet Princess Zelda. "

"Princess Zelda?" Link repeated. "You mean THE Princess Zelda?"

"Uh-huh! I heard she is a cutie," Rusl said before turning his back to Link. "Well, see you tomorrow. Make sure you get some sleep."

Link nodded and Rusl walked away. Link waved at his back before heading down the path to his house. Once he got to his house, he saw Epona looking at him. She trotted to him and nickered at him. Link smiled and patted Epona on the nose.

"Don't worry, the wolf is gone," Link said to her.

Epona snorted and shoved her head into Link's chest. Link chuckled and rubbed the horse's forehead.

"Alright, my friend," He said kindly to Epona. "Now we can rest for the day."

He moved away from his horse and walked over to the ladder that led up to his door. He looked at Epona and smiled. "Now you stay here and be good. I'll see you later tonight." Epona dipped her head obediently and then went to a patch of green grass and ate. Link smiled softly at her and then climbed up the ladder, opened the door and shut it behind him.

~Later~

The sun had gone down and a small crescent was in the deep colored sky with star shining faintly around it. Link was resting in a chair in front of the fireplace. He dozed off after sitting down in it a few hours earlier. He sat there, dreaming about the trip to the Castle City and the chance of meeting the beautiful Princess Zelda. He had only heard stories about her but all of them suggested the fact that she was very pretty.

A line of drool came from Link's mouth as he slept. His eyes gradually began to open. He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he wiped the drool away from his mouth and looked at fire, then out the window.

"Geez…I felt like I slept for a week," He said groggily as he stood up. He stretched his back till it cracked. "Ow…"

He walked over to the door. "I wonder how Epona is…"

Suddenly, he heard a shriek that came from the inner village. Link's eyes shot wide open and he swiftly opened the door. From the village, there was a bright glow that seemed like the color of a fire. Even Epona below was rearing up and neighing loudly. Link quickly climbed down the ladder and ran over to Epona.

"Epona! Settle down!' He said firmly to his horse. He grabbed Epona by her bridle and held on to it. In no time, the horse calmed down. He let go and she shook her head. Since there was no time to lose, he jumped onto her back, without saddling her up, took the reins in hand and kicked her into a gallop down the path that led to the village.

When they got to the village, nothing was on fire, but several torches were lit and burning. But something odd was there. A large black creature was walking through the streets. It was in the shape of a large cat with a long tail and black snake-like things extending out of its body. Villagers stood outside of their houses, looking terrified by this weird creature. Link and Epona stood still. Then the creature turned around and looked at Link. Its red glowing eyes glared at him with all the malice and hate anything could have. It snarled at him and roared a deafening cry.

"Watch it Link!" Link heard Rusl yell. "If that thing touches you, you'll be cursed!"

The beast heard Rusl yell and turned to look at him. With that, the beast charged at him. Link was surprised at how fast the creature ran at him. Link looked around for something to throw at the monster. He found a large stick pointed stick and quickly picked it up. He launched the stick at the demon and struck it in the back. The monster let out a shrill cry and ran to the water.

At that time, while the monster was in the water, Link made Epona run over to where Rusl. He stopped in front of Rusl and kept an eye on the water where the monster hid.

"What's going on?" Link asked Rusl.

"That monster is attacking the village," Rusl reported. "All I know that besides that it's cursed, it's not of these parts."

"Not of these parts?" Link repeated.

Rusl nodded. "It's far too big and powerful to be from around here." The water began to stir. Rusl looked at Link. "We need to kill it fast or it will exterminate us all."

"I know but…how?" Link asked.

"You can borrow my sword," Rusl said as he handed Link his finely crafted blade. "It'll probably do more damage than a wooden sword. Just take Epona around and try to lure that thing away, or better yet kill it."

Link nodded and took the sword. "Got it, just be safe."

Rusl nodded and ran to his house. Link turned Epona and faced the water. The water became more distorted and out of the water, came the cat demon. The monster glared at him and roared. Epona reared up and neighed at the monster.

Then, out of the shadows, came a white blur that struck the monster in the head. The monster roared and looked around for what struck it.

Link looked around too and then saw the white wolf from earlier standing beside Epona. He looked at the wolf and the wolf looked back at him. The wolf smirked at him and nodded its head. Link smiled and nodded at the wolf. Then, the two looked at the monster, which was slowly getting up. It shook its head and ran out of the water. The wolf snarled at the demon and charged at it. Link followed the wolf's lead and went after. The monster snapped at the warriors but they evaded by jumping into the air. The wolf jumped onto the monster's head and clawed fearlessly at its eyes, trying to blind it. But the demon responded by tossing its head violently and throwing the wolf onto the ground. The wolf landed on its feet. It shook its pelt and glared at the monster.

The wolf looked at Link and barked at him, like it was trying to talk to him. Link was confused by what the wolf was barking.

"I can't understand you," he said to the wolf.

The wolf growled crossly and lunged back at the demon's face, once again attacking its evil, red eyes. Then, Link realized what the wolf wanted him to do. It wanted him to blind help blind the monster.

Once the wolf was thrown off again, Link kicked Epona into a gallop and charged at the monster. He stood up on her back got the sword in his hand. Then when Epona came close enough to the monster, Link jumped up onto the monster's shoulder, ignoring the fact that the demon snakes were trying to latch onto him. He quickly ran up the monster's body to its face and stood on its forehead. Then, he drove his sword into the monster's red eyes. The monster shrieked and threw its head around, trying to throw Link off. Link wasn't able to hold on and was thrown off, and the sword came with him. He landed hard onto his back.

He looked at the monster. Blood came from the place where the sword stabbed the beast. The cat beast, with all its fury in its body extended its neck to Link. Link backed away but the beast was able to reach and bit down hard onto his arm. Link screamed in pain and tried kicking the monster off.

Then, the wolf charged at the monster and pushed its head away from Link. The monster and the wolf stared at each other, hatred and anger on both of their minds. Link was trembling in shock from the new wound on his right arm. Blood dripped from the bite mark but it soon dried up. The skin seemed to be healing, but it caused great pain. Soon, all that was left was a scar and a black mark that burned like the hottest fire. His body had trouble adapting to the situation and struggled with keeping his conscience. He was able to watch the wolf and monster fight though.

The cat beast arched its head high in the air and was about to strike at the wolf. But the wolf was quick and when the beast struck at it, it moved away and latched on firmly at the monster's neck.

The monster shrieked and tossed its head, trying to rid of the wolf. The wolf held on tightly and with all its strength, dragged the monster to the ground. The black snakes on the cat began to turn into a sticky, black substance. The substance dripped off of the monster, revealing the orange colored fur of the cat underneath. The red, malicious glow went away and the eyes of the beast became a yellow-green glare that froze on the cat's sharp face. The wolf let go and looked at the cat. Villagers were coming out of their houses, looking at the fallen monster. Some, mostly the women and children, went to Link's aid. The men went to look at the monstrous cat. The cat looked at them and then at the wounded Link.

"Disgusting little worm…"The cat growled, shaking the village slightly. "Soon…you will feel the hatred of the spirits and suffer…as I have suffered."

As the cat spoke, the flesh and fur began to decay and disappear. Soon, all was left was the skeleton of the giant cat spirit. The wolf, along with some of the villagers, bowed their heads in respect of the fallen spirit.

"Mommy," A child said. The wolf turned around and looked at Link. "Is Link going to be okay?"

The child slowly began to reach out to touch Link's arm. The wolf trotted quickly over to Link and placed its white tail in front of the wound arm, shielding it from the kid from touching it. The child looked into the wolf's red eyes. The eyes of the wolf were shining with disappointment and safety. The child took back its hand and backed away from Link. Link looked up at the wolf and gulped.

"You…saved us," He said hoarsely to the wolf. The wolf bowed its head and closed its eyes. Link, with his left hand, reached out to pet the wolf but he froze up. His eyes closed and he fell unconscious. The villagers gasped and ran to Link. But the wolf held up its tail, signaling them to stay. The villagers listened to the wolf's orders and stood still. The wolf walked to Link's side and grabbed the collar of his shirt. Villagers gasped, thinking that wolf was going to eat him. But, instead, the wolf lifted Link up and set him gently onto its back.

It looked at Epona and barked something quietly at her. Epona nodded, seeming to understand what the wolf was saying and walked over to it. The wolf walked over to the sword, which was still covered in the cat spirit's blood, and picked it up with its mouth. The villagers looked at one another, muttering questions and suspicions on what the wolf was going to do. One villager ran out and stood in front of the wolf.

"What are you doing to him?" He demanded. "If you don't tell us, I'll kill you."

The wolf looked at him. The man lowered his guard, seeming to understand what the wolf saying, even though it didn't speak in words. He moved out of the way.

The wolf walked on, with Epona following. The villagers watched the wolf as it, Epona and the wounded Link left the inner village. The villagers cried and some took off their hats as the group left and was out of sight.

Link lay on the back of the wolf, the wound on his arm still stinging painfully, along with the ominous words of the cat spirit.

_"Soon…you will feel the hatred of the spirits and suffer…as I have suffered."_

**

* * *

**

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	2. Teranika

**Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana**

**Chapter Two: Teranika: The Wolf Warrior**

* * *

It was late in the evening a few day after the attack when Link began to show signs of consciousness. He opened his eyes slowly and was looking straight up at the deep colored sky. Link slowly sat up and looked around at his surroundings. The landscape was a rocky terrain that seemed to like a mountain with a carved path under a rock he was on. He knew was that he wasn't in Ordona now, far from it. He looked over the edge of the rock and saw Epona, munching at a patch of dry grass. Link smiled and waved at Epona, thankful that she was okay.

Then, the pain in his arm stung him. He clenched his teeth and looked at his injured right arm. The mark that the demon cat left on him had grown since he saw it. His eyes widened and he shook his head.

"That's impossible," Link muttered through his teeth. "It's getting bigger."

"Finally you're up. I'd be careful with that cursed arm, boy," A voice said. The voice was a woman and was as smooth as the purest silk. "Wave it around to much and it'll spread more quickly through your body and end up killing you."

Link looked around. "Um…who are you? What are you?"

He heard something land behind him, so he turned around. There, he saw the massive white wolf he fought alongside in Ordona. Its piercing red eyes gazed at him and it had a large rabbit in her jaws. It sat delicately in front of him with its tail over its front paws.

Link shivered as he looked at the wolf. A smirk came across its lips as it dropped the rabbit.

"Don't be so scared…" The voice came again as it moved with the wolf's mouth. "I'm not going to eat you."

Link's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "You…you talked!"

The wolf narrowed her eyes. "Pipe down. Haven't you've ever seen a talking animal before? Epona doesn't seem to be terrified."

"Well Epona-Wait…how did you know my horse's name?" Link asked.

The wolf ignored the question and pushed the rabbit to him with her nose.

"Just eat it and be quiet," The wolf said as she lay down in front of him and cleaned her front paw.

Link looked at the rabbit and cautiously reached for it. He was hungry, but he still wanted to be cautious. He lifted the rabbit and sniffed it.

"If you won't eat it, I will," The wolf growled impatiently.

Link rolled his eyes, brought the limp body to his mouth and took a large bite of the rabbit. He was surprised by how good it tasted and took more large bites. He ate the rabbit so quickly that even the wolf was surprised.

"Wow…even I don't eat that fast," She muttered.

When Link finished with the rabbit, he tossed the remains away. He placed a hand on his stomach and smiled.

"I never knew that would taste good," He mumbled contently. He looked at the wolf and smiled at her. "Thanks, um…what's your name?"

The wolf smirked and stood up, letting her chest puff out proudly. "I am named Teranika. I am a warrior from lands far from here."

Link looked at the wolf in awe. "You must be from somewhere in Hyrule. Are you lying to me?"

Teranika shook her head and smirked. "I'm from a place of no mortal has ever heard of."

"Cool," Link said as he looked at the large wolf. Then he thought, well…she is larger than any wolf I've seen…

"I have another question," Link said. "Why did you save Ordona from that monster cat?"

The wolf's eyes widened. She looked away and muttered, "That…I cannot answer."

Link lifted a brow. "Why?"

"Because I just can't," Teranika answered. "You will have to wait for the answer to that question once we get to the place we're going."

"Where are we even going?" Link asked.

The wolf chuckled and looked at him, her eyes twinkling with joy.

"To my home," Teranika answered. "A place of Gods, spirits, mysteries and animals that no mortal has ever seen. In other words, it's a magical place."

Link cocked his head to the side like a puppy. "Are you serious?"

Teranika nodded. "Besides…it's the only place where we can cure your arm of the curse."

Link looked at his cursed right arm.

"The curse will spread and when it gets to your brain...it will drive you mad. Then kill you."

Link gulped and grabbed his arm. He looked at Teranika, who was looking up at the moon.

"My home, Alana, has some of the best medicine that can cure curses and incurable diseases. Our medicine and our secrets are so powerful that humans go searching through the forest to look for them. But the forest is so well guarded and enchanted that the mortals get lost and die." Teranika looked at him and smirked. "But since you're with me, you won't get lost and die."

Link didn't know if he should feel relieved or terrified of this wolf. Sure, she seemed nice. But he had only known the great wolf for not very long. For all he knew, she might lead him to a den of other massive wolves, gang up on him and eat him. Then he looked at his cursed arm. If he didn't do something quick he would die. The only option was to trust this wolf and go to her homeland.

Teranika looked at him and asked, "Well…do you still wish to come?"

Link looked up from his arm and looked at her. "Yes," He answered. "I will go with you."

The wolf laughed and a flash of amusement came to her eyes.

"You are a wise one kid," Teranika said. "I like your guts." Teranika stood up and walked over to the edge of the flat rock.

"Why by night?" Link asked.

Teranika looked at him. "I'm kind of too large to be an average wolf and if people saw me…they would probably freak out. Traveling with a mortal and a horse is kind of odd too, don't you think?"

Link nodded, she did have a point there.

"Besides, my senses are keener at night," Teranika added as she jumped off the rock.

Link nodded and jumped off the rock too. When he landed, he walked over to Epona and jumped onto her back. Teranika looked at them till he was settled on the horse's back.

"We're taking a shortcut," She informed. "So we will probably be there in a night or two."

Link nodded and kicked Epona into a trot. Teranika started trotting too and Link followed her through the carved path of the rocky terrain.

Now, he and the wolf spirit were off to the land of spirits.


	3. Alana

**_Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana_**

**Chapter Three: Alana**

* * *

Underneath the star-filled skies, a group of travelers galloped across the great fields of Hyrule. In the lead of the group was a great white wolf that revealed herself as the warrior named Teranika. Galloping close behind her was Link, on the back of Epona, his trusty steed.

It was two nights ago, Link remembered, when he first met Teranika. First, he didn't know her name and just saw her as a giant wolf that ventured to his village of Ordona. But later that night, a cursed cat spirit attacked the village. The wolf appeared again and fought alongside Link. But during the battle, the spirit bit Link's arm and a black mark appeared on it. Teranika killed the spirit latching her jaws hard onto his throat. Shortly after, the cat spirit died, leaving behind its skeleton, and Link fell unconscious.

The night later, Link reawakened and saw that the cursed mark on his arm grown bigger. That was when Teranika revealed herself to Link. The wolf told him, also, that the mark on his arm would grow till it got to his brain, drive him mad and then ultimately kill him. Teranika told him also of the place she wished to take him. It was to her homeland, a place called Alana, a great and proud land of beasts and spirits. That was also the only place where he could get a cure for his curse. Link had no choice but to agree to go with the mysterious beast.

Since he left the resting place at sunset, the black mark on his right arm had grown slightly larger than it had been when he met Teranika. The pain had seemed to cease, but every now and then, the mark would sting painfully. Every time that would happen, Teranika would lick his arm lightly and then the pain would go away. The problem was that she would have to do it twice a day, once at sunrise and once again at sunset.

Teranika slowed to a trot as they came across a bridge. The group turned their attention to the bridge and looked at where it led. On the other side of the bridge was a large wall of stone that made the inner contents inside unseen. But one thing did stick out. A large castle was inside the walls and seemed to be scarping the sky with its top tower. Link's eyes widened as he looked at it.

"Is…is that the castle city?" Link asked.

"Yes," Teranika answered. "That is the castle home to the royal family of Hyrule. But that is all I know."

Link looked at the castle in awe, day-dreaming a little on what it would be like to be in there.

Then, Teranika's sharp, yet strangely smooth, voice snapped him out of his trance. "Hey Link. Stop dreaming and let's get going. We're almost there."

Link looked at Teranika and apologized. Teranika nodded curtly and took off into a canter. Link kicked Epona into a canter and followed after the wolf. The wolf ran through the field with Epona following closely. They were moving further away from the royal city to the other side of the field. There was a narrow path that was in between two large boulders. Teranika slowed her pace to a walk and Link slowed Epona down as well. The wolf walked through the close walls and followed the narrow path. Epona snorted and followed very closely behind. The path was very tight with a large amount of curves and turns. Even the length of this path seemed to take forever to get through.

Yet, despite Teranika bringing him to her homeland, Link still felt suspicion on the wolf. He kept an eye out and remained tense, just in case one of her brethren was to jump out and attack him.

After a curve right, the group found themselves in a small clearing that was bordered by tall jagged rocks. The ground was covered in lush, green grass and several tall trees stood. On the opposite side from the entrance was a large rock that looked paler than the other rocks that bordered the clearing. The large rock seemed to glisten slightly in the moon's pale light. In front of the giant rock were two tall stone pillars. There was a deep groove inward, which meant that the pillars acted as torches.

Link looked at Teranika and gave her a cold stare.

"You foolish beast," Link lashed out. "This is a dead end. I knew it all along, you were just going to eat me!"

Teranika looked at him and pinned her ears. "If your horse isn't freaking out, then stay calm. Besides, I don't eat mortals…I have more class than that."

"Yeah right!" Link laughed sarcastically.

Teranika sighed loudly. "This is not a dead end," she said calmly. "Watch."

Teranika looked at the pale stone and walked towards it, taking long smooth strides as she stepped. When she was directly in front of the rock, she placed her nose on the rock's very cool surface. The wolf closed her eyes and muttered something in a language Link couldn't understand.

Almost immediately, the rock began to give off a blindingly powerful light. The light was so fierce that Epona started to get a little nervous. Link shielded his eyes from the light with his left arm. Even the stone pillars, which were now lit, gave off a bright light.

But the glow began to dim a little, just so much that Link was able to see without going blind. His eyes widen as he looked at the rock. Teranika walked back to him with a mocking glow in her red eyes.

"What…did you…do?" Link stuttered.

"Opened up a portal that will take us to Alana," Teranika answered. "My people call it the Moonstone. It gives us passage to Hyrule but we've only used it a few times in the past. I can get into a lot of trouble if I got caught using it."

Link didn't answer but kept his attention on the Moonstone. Teranika rolled her eyes impatiently and flicked his head with her tail.

"C'mon," She said. "We need to get through it before it closes…or before you stare at it too long that you go blind. Whichever is worse…."

Link glared at Teranika because of her comment. Teranika shrugged and rolled her eyes. Link urged Epona to a walk. Epona, at first, refused but then took her master's request and walked hesitantly forward. Teranika followed after them taking her long, slow strides.

When she was in front of the Moonstone, Epona planted her feet onto the ground and snorted. Link kicked at her sides firmly while whispering commands. Epona refused and shook her head.

Link looked at Teranika. "She won't move. Are you sure this isn't a trick?"

"No it isn't," Teranika said shaking her head. "She's probably just nervous. I'll go in first and then you lead her through. Okay?"

Link nodded slowly and got off of Epona. He grabbed the reins with his left hand and let his cursed arm hang limply at his side. He looked at Teranika. The wolf nodded and walked closer to the Moonstone.

In the light, her pelt looked even whiter and glimmered beautifully.

Then, Teranika took a paw step forward and her paw disappeared into the stone. Link gazed in wonder as Teranika walked in and the rest of her body went into the Moonstone. The last thing he saw of her was her tail.

"Hurry up!" He heard the wolf yell from the other side.

Link looked at Epona. The horse was as stiff as a board and her eyes were as wide as a full moon. Link tightened his grip and tapped Epona lightly on the shoulder. "Don't worry," He reassured her. "We'll come back to Hyrule."

After he said that, he looked out at the clearing. For some reason, he felt uneasy about what he just said. Could this be the last time he'd ever breath in Hyrule?

Link shook his head, pushing that thought to the back of his head.

"Goodbye Hyrule," He muttered. Link looked at the Moonstone and gulped. "Hello…Land of Spirits."

Link took a step into the portal and Epona did the same. Link could already smell flowers and others plants that came from this unknown land. A warm air hit his face, warming him up on the inside. He took more steps. He looked behind him and saw that the clearing was gone. He was surrounded by light and only light. Then, the light intensified to a blinding gleam that forced him to cover his eyes. The heat intensified as well and felt like a raging inferno than a gentle warmth. Link's grip on Epona's reins failed and he let go. He opened his eyes and searched for his trusted steed.

"Epona!" Link shouted. No response from Epona, but the light did.

It grew brighter and he had to use his arms to cover his eyes from the light. He felt like he was on fire and the curse mark made it worse. It felt like it was going melt off Link's arm. Link felt like he was going to die, if not burn to death, in the portal.

But then, the heat went away just as quickly as it started and was replaced by a cool, soft breeze. Link unshielded his face and opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, looking up at an overcast sky with the green pointed tops of trees trying to scrap the clouds.

"Wow…I could've sworn it was only about midnight when we got to the portal," Link muttered as he turned his head towards the side.

The grass in this place was far more vibrant and lush then any grass he has seen. Even the flowers looked bright despite being no sun in the sky.

Link slowly sat up and looked around at the tall trees that covered the area. Then, his eyes flew open. Where was Epona? Link turned his head quickly, looking for his horse. He saw Epona standing next to a tree, sniffing at a group of flowers curiously. She seemed unharmed and as alert as ever. Link smiled softly, very thankful that Epona was all right and safe.

Link stood up and stretched out his back. He cracked his neck and began walking towards Epona.

"Well, now…you like it here?" A voice asked out of nowhere, making Link jump.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to see the wolf Teranika, standing proudly next to a tree. But something seemed odd about her now. Link walked closer to the wolf to get a better look. His eyes widened when he got close enough to see what happened.

Teranika physique was still the same, and her pelt was still the color of white, but there were more features on her now. Red markings twirled and danced around her red eyes. Those markings connected to a circular marking that was in the middle of her forehead. From the forehead, the markings traced down her spine and stopped just before her tail. More red markings twirled and spiraled on her shoulders and trickled down her forelegs. Also on the front of her forelegs were wooden guards that went to just under her knee. On the guards were ancient words and figures that Link couldn't make out.

Link looked at her and gulped. "Wh-…how…what happened?!"

Teranika's eyes twinkled with amusement as she giggled. "This is what I look like here. You like it?" But before Link could saw anything, Teranika continued speaking. "Well, welcome to my home."

"This is the place of spirits? But there is nothing here besides a few birds and butterflies."

Teranika's bushy white tail rose, signaling Link to be silent.

"That is because we are not near the gathering place. It's the place where we eat, share tongues with one another and sleep."

"Um…I could kind of guess by the name," Link muttered. He ran a hand through his hand and tilted his head to the side. "How far are we from there?"

Teranika walked up to him and head butted him softly in the arm. "Don't worry. We're not far from there."

Link smiled faintly at her and nodded. He turned his attention to Epona, who was munching at some grass. The sorrel mare lifted her head and nickered softly at him. Link smiled at her and stepped over to her. When he was in front of her, he placed his right hand on her soft muzzle. But, his happiness quickly dissolved right when he saw the mark on his arm. The black mark, the color Link now despised more than anything, had grown larger, larger than when he was in Hyrule. The mark had almost grown to his shoulder. He sighed in discontent and walked over to Epona's left side. He jumped up and swung his leg over onto the other side. He took hold of the reins and looked at Teranika. Teranika's eyes glanced at his cursed arm and then at his face.

"Your mark…it displeases you, no?" Teranika muttered.

Link didn't look at the wolf, only nodded glumly. Teranika's red, calculating eyes narrowed intensely. She lifted her head.

"Let's get moving," She said quietly.

The wolf walked on, taking her long slow strides. Link kicked lightly at Epona's sides and got her into a walk. The sorrel followed closely behind the wolf. Teranika turned her head to the side and looked at him.

"Try to limit your questions till we get to where we're going," Teranika advised in a whisper. "If a patrol hears us or if they catch me with a mortal, I can get into some serious trouble."

Link understood the wolf's advice and nodded. Teranika was going through such great lengths just to help him cure his curse and she hadn't lied to him so far, he could trust her for now and remain quiet.

As they traveled through the seemingly endless forest, Link could hear something that sounded like a flowing river or a stream that was nearby.

"Hey, Teranika," Link whispered. One of Teranika's ears flicked back, as if so that she could hear him better. "Is there a river nearby?"

Teranika nodded. "Yes. There is a great river that flows through this land. That is our primary water source and our gathering place is located very close to it."

"So couldn't we just follow right along its banks and then we'll get to the place?"

"If we did, we would have a greater risk of a patrol or someone spotting us. Remember? Primary water source…"

Link rolled his eyes, starting to get annoyed at how Teranika seemed to always be right.

"So…we're just going to follow the sound of the river till we see the place?" Link questioned.

"You're a quick learner kid," Teranika commented. "Now, be silent. Someone might hear you."

Link nodded slightly. As they moved through the forest, Link looked at the scenery. It looked as if he had seen it in a painting that looked almost too perfect. Rocks, covered in moss, were scattered on the forest floor. The trees were very tall and seemed to touch the overcast sky above. Link sighed and looked down at his cursed arm.

Teranika's description of the curse flooded his ears. Soon, evil thoughts began to plague his mind. Soon a vision played through his head that seemed almost real. He was standing in front of a burning village. The limp bodies of villagers were scattered on the ground with a pool of blood around each, carrying on to the next. This Link's eyes were not there normal blue but changed to a menacing red, like the eye color of the cursed spirit he fought in Ordona. A twisted smile was on his face and his clothes, which were ripped and tattered, was covered in crimson. Then, he threw his head back and let out an evil laugh that sounded almost like a howl in a way.

This was the cursed Link, Link thought to himself. This is the being he would become if he didn't get help. He would become a cold-blooded monster, like the cat spirit in Ordona, whose only purpose was to destroy and kill. He would also probably fall the way the cursed cat spirit did, at the jaws of the wolf spirit Teranika.

Now he was becoming thankful that Teranika saved him and was going to bring him to her home, the only known place to help free him of his hex.

But then, the cursed arm started to burn. Link gritted his teeth and placed his left hand on his arm. Epona, sensing a problem, halted and looked at Link. Teranika did the same. The wolf walked over to Epona's side. Her red eyes narrowed as she looked at the arm. She could sense the great pain the arm was giving off without even asking him.

"Your arm troubles you…" She muttered. She looked over her right shoulder and saw tree with a wide base. The bottom was surrounded by very tall thick grass, perfect enough to hide someone. She walked over to the tree. "Get off Epona and come sit under this tree."

Link followed Teranika's orders and dismounted. Once he landed on the ground, he staggered over to the tree Teranika was standing next to. Epona followed after her master. Once at the tree, Link lowered himself onto the ground and rested his back on the wide base of the tree.

Teranika lowered herself onto her stomach and was on his right side. She gazed at his right arm with cool, calculating eyes. She lowered her head closer to his arm and began stroking the mark gently with her soft tongue, like a mother wolf would do to her pups. At first, the mark stung, making Link cringe with pain. But it quickly began to soothe and numb out, not even being able to feel the pain anymore.

After a few last strokes, Teranika took her tongue back and her head rose up. She stood up and walked over to a moss covered rock that was not very far from them. With her massive jaws, she took off a large chunk of moss and placed on the ground. Link lifted a brow as she shook her pelt.

"Um…what are you doing?" Link asked.

"A remedy someone taught me," Teranika said. "It'll keep the pain down till we get to the gathering place."

Teranika picked up the moss with her mouth and turned toward the direction of the river. She turned her head to the side to look at him and smirked her patented wolf smirk.

"You two stay here," She instructed. Her voice sounded muffled, thanks to the moss in her mouth. "I have to get this damp. I'll be right back."

Link nodded. Teranika looked forward and ran into the shadows toward the river. Link looked at Epona. Epona shook her head and nickered softly at him before lowering her head to eat some grass. Link looked away from her and looked up at the overcast sky.

Then, something in the corner of his eyes caught his attention. He turned his head to the left and saw a pale light in the shadows. The light seemed to come closer from out of the shadows and in it Link could see a figure. He narrowed his eyes so he could see the figure better.

It looked like a fox with nine long tails that extended out from the end of its back. She looked as if she was about the same size as Teranika, maybe even a little bigger. She halted in the small clearing before Link and looked at the overcast sky.

Link's eyes widened as he gazed at the beauty of the divine beast. The fox lowered her head and sniffed the ground. For some reason, the air had now smelt lovely and blissful, not of the grass that surrounded Link. Link slowly got to his knees and tried to crawl over to the fox, so he could get an even better view of its majesty. Link crawled as stealthily as he could, so that the fox could sense him.

The fox lifted her head and shook herself. She looked around the area curiously. Link smiled softly as he took in the smell that seemed to surround him now, as he grew closer to the fox.

"Hey...Link!" A voice whispered harshly. "Wake up."

Link's eyes opened slowly and he saw Teranika's face directly in his face. Her wet nose was touching his and she looked into his eyes. Link tried his best not to scream, so he covered his mouth with his hand. Teranika rolled her eyes and backed away.

"Was I asleep?" he asked.

"Yeah," Teranika confirmed. "You were snoring so loud that half of the forest heard you. Now put out your arm so I can put the moss on before it dries up."

Link stuck out his right arm and Teranika began placing the wet moss on the black mark. The moss felt cool and relaxing as she placed it on.

But Link wasn't really focused on that. He was thinking about the fox he saw in his dream. Her sweet smell still lingered in the air as if she was actually there. The dream he had just felt to real, he knew it was real.

"Well…there you are," Teranika said softly. "I'm done."

Link looked down at his arm. The black mark was covered with the damp moss.

"That should help till we get to the gathering place," Teranika said as she stood up.

Link moved his arm around and the moss moved perfectly along with his movements. He smiled and thanked Teranika. He stood up and walked over to Epona.

"Well, Teranika…Look what you found here. The lady will be angry if she saw this," A smooth male voice growled.

Teranika whipped her hindquarters around and pinned her ears down onto her skull. Link got into a defensive stance position as well. Teranika became tense as she scanned the area.

"Great…" Teranika growled. "A patrol…"


	4. Aideen

**Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana**

**Chapter Four: Aideen**

* * *

Link's eyes scanned the area, as he stood as motionless as a stationary tree. Teranika stood just as still. Her nostrils were flared as she tried to scent the patrol that had found them.

Then, something in the bushes ahead of them rustled. Teranika's ears perked forward and her eyes narrowed so she could see the patrol. Her white lips curled up into a vicious snarl that could intimidate any mighty warrior. She lowered her body to the ground and her muscles tense as three figures came out of the bushes.

The one in the middle was a wolf. He was a little bigger than Teranika but he looked just as fierce as her. He had a smoky gray pelt with white markings that danced and spiraled kind of like Teranika's, just in a different pattern. He had green eyes that were glaring at Teranika. He had a small missing chunk on his right ear and a scar on his left eye.

To the wolf's right was a large snake-like creature. Instead of scales, the snake had white fur, with a light green scale under belly. A white mane, kind of like one that a lion has, was grown from his neck. He had green markings that followed down his very long spine. His gray eyes looked at Link curiously.

On the left side was a cat that was a little smaller than the wolf. She had a flame-orange pelt, like the cat spirit Link fought in Ordona. Her calm green-yellow eyes looked at Teranika and then looked at Link. The cat had black markings that went on her body. Her tail moved side to side slowly and her whiskers twitched.

The wolf stepped out and looked at Teranika.

"Well, well…" He said smoothly to Teranika as he began to circle her. "If it isn't Teranika. Finally coming home from your mission, I see." His eyes flicked to Link and Epona and he sneered menacingly. "I see you made a new friend."

"Shut up Kael," Teranika growled. "I'm bringing him to Aideen. He became an innocent victim when I was fighting. He is a brave strong warrior. His name is Link."

Link chest puffed up a little when Teranika made the comment of him being brave and strong. But Kael didn't feel the same. Kael's eye twitched irritably.

"Hmph!" He said tossing his head to the side. "He looks like a pipsqueak if you ask me."

"I don't know Kael," The snake muttered. "I'm sensing a strong force coming from this young man."

The wolf turned his head to the side and snarled at the snake. "Can it Naal."

The snake lowered his head and listened to the wolf's orders. Link couldn't believe how this wolf treated his comrades. Link lifted brow and looked over at the cat. She was looking down and pawing at the ground with her front paws. Link walked up to Teranika's side. The moss had dried on his cursed arm.

Kael looked at Link and snarled at him. "Well…hello mortal." Kael said in an offensive manner. "You are a fool to come here I hope you know."

Link looked into Kael's green eyes, his face shown no emotion whatsoever. The right hand, the cursed hand, clenched up into a fist as he glared up at Kael. Teranika looked at Link, her snarl went away.

"What are you doing, Link?" Teranika whispered to him. "Go back and stand next to Epona."

"I'm fine," He muttered as he continued to look up at Link.

Kael lifted his head up and laughed coldly.

"You have nerve, boy," Kael said. "Too think, a warrior like Teranika brings a Hylian back with her to Alana. She has a soft heart…maybe I should rip it out after I eat you as a snack!"

Kael opened his mouth wide and ran to Link. Teranika's eyes widened and she looked at Link. Link didn't move. He just stood perfectly still, looking at the great wolf that was charging straight at him.

"Link, move!" Teranika shouted. "He's going to kill-"

But before Teranika could finish her sentence, Kael was in front of Link and was about to rip off the upper half of the Hylian's body.

"Time to die!" Kael shouted as he lowered his head.

His great head went down and Link stood perfectly still with the glare still on his face. Teranika, and both the snake and cat, looked at Kael with a terrified glow in their eyes. Teranika even turned her head away, so she didn't see what would happen to the young man she saved.

Several seconds went by and Teranika didn't hear to horrible "chomp" sound she expected to hear. She opened her eyes turned her head slowly to see what had happened. Her eyes widened as she saw what actually had happened.

Link wasn't killed, he wasn't even touch by the great fangs of Kael. Instead, it was the outcome that Teranika didn't expect it to be.

Link had his right hand on the nose of Kael. Kael's eyes were wide in shock as he looked at the intense strength Link had to keep him back. The moss that was on Link's arm seemed to burn off and the black mark was actually beginning to glow faintly. Link had a hard look on his face and he narrowed his eyes as he looked into the wolf's green eyes. Kael's eyes flicked from the Link's eyes, to the curse mark, to Link's face again.

"What…what the hell are you?" Kael asked quietly.

A faint smile came across Link's lips and he chuckled quietly. Kael's eyes widened further in fear, afraid of what the young Hylian might do to him. Even Teranika, Naal and the flame-colored cat's eyes were wide in fear for what Link might do to the large wolf.

But instead, Link's hand dropped down to his side. Kael looked at him with confusion in his eyes. Link looked at the wolf and smiled cheerfully at him.

"I'm a Hylian," Link said before walking away from Kael to Epona.

Kael's ears flipped back and he looked at Teranika. He lowered his head at her like a dog in trouble would with its master. Naal and the cat walked up to Kael's side and looked at him. Naal then rolled his eyes at Kael and then slithered toward Teranika. Link went to the other side of the tree and led Epona out of hiding. The flame-colored cat stayed next to Kael's side and licked ear comfortingly.

"Er…I'm sorry for what Kael did," Naal said to Teranika and Link. "He really likes to leap before he thinks."

"It's no problem, Naal," Teranika said calmly. Her eyes flicked over at Kael. "I wouldn't have expected any more from that careless pup. He needs to learn some more manners or he will never be able to leave the forest."

Naal dipped his head. "It's true." The snake looked over at Link. "Is that a Hylian? I've never seen one before. I've seen a horse, but never with a mortal."

Naal got closer to Link. Link looked at the snake with wide eyes. As the snake got closer, he backed away. Naal's eyes filled with worry as he backed away.

"Are you afraid of me?" Naal asked in way that made it seem that he had his feelings hurt.

Link shook his head and walked up to the snake.

"No, it's not that," Link reassured. "It's just…kind of weird having someone up in my face like that."

Teranika looked at Link and walked over to him.

"Link," Teranika began. "This is group of our young warriors. You have already met Kael. The snake is Naal and the cat is Ailis."

Naal bowed his head politely when Teranika said his name. Ailis just lifted her head from her tending to Kael and nodded curtly. Then, she went back to comforting Kael. Link lifted a brow at her but then Naal began speaking.

"It's an honor to meet you, young warrior from parts far from here," Naal said politely. "I welcome you to Alana."

Link smiled at him and bowed his head. "Thank you."

Naal looked down at his cursed arm and narrowed his eyes. He was about to open his mouth to say something but he saw Teranika's eyes narrowing at him. Link cocked his head to the side and looked at Naal.

"What's wrong?" Link asked.

Naal shook his head. "Oh, nothing."

"Well…I think its enough time for talk," Teranika said. "How 'bout we start moving onward to the gathering place?"

Naal looked at Teranika and nodded. "Oh, yeah. Sure! We'll go along with you so you won't get into trouble by another patrol."

Teranika dipped her head politely. "Thank you, Naal." Then, she looked at Link and flashed him one of her signature smirks. "You get on your horse and lets get going."

Link nodded and jumped onto Epona's back. Naal looked at him in curiosity.

"You ride on the backs of beasts?" Naal asked, trying to hide his excitement.

Link looked at the snake and nodded slowly. "Uh…yeah. Most people back home do."

"Interesting…" Naal said.

Link looked at Naal questionably,"Um…yeah."

Teranika looked at Naal and narrowed her eyes at him. "Can you please quit asking questions? You can ask him all the questions you want after we get him to Aideen."

Naal smiled awkwardly and nodded. "I suppose your right Teranika."

"Hold on a second!" Kael barked. The smoke gray wolf left Ailis's side and he looked like what he did when Link first saw him, powerful, cocky and a little cruel. The wolf walked to up to Link.

Teranika rolled her eyes and looked at him. Link looked at wolf with a relaxed face.

"What is it?" Teranika growled.

"Why the hell should we bring a runt like him to Aideen?" Kael asked coldly, his lips curling up into a snarl.

"Are you blind you stupid fur-ball?" Teranika snapped. "Look at his arm."

Kael looked down at Link's right arm. The black mark almost completely covered his entire right arm. Naal, and even Ailis, walked in closer to look at the mark. But it was Ailis who walked the closest and actually sniffed the arm. Link laughed a little as her whiskers touched his blackened skin. But then his eyes were focused on Ailis's face and body language. The fur on her neck began to bristle a little, her greenish-yellow eyes began to widen.

Teranika's eyes narrowed, a brief flash of sorrow came and then went.

Ailis looked up at Link. Link looked back into her eyes. He could see sorrow and dullness in her eyes.

Then Ailis closed her eyes and backed away behind Kael and Naal. Naal looked back at her and tilted his head. Kael didn't look and growled at Link.

"So you are cursed," Kael muttered coolly. He hesitated and then turned his hindquarters to the north. "C'mon…we'll take you to Aideen."

Link nodded. Epona shook her head and Link patted her neck. Kael and Naal took the front with Ailis behind them. Teranika stood next to Epona. The white wolf looked up at Link and smirked at him.

"You ready?" She asked.

Link smiled at Teranika, feeling both excited and afraid about meeting other beasts like Teranika and the patrol they just met.

"I'm ready."

"Good," Naal shouted from the front. "Then let's go!"

Kael and Naal began going forward with Ailis following after them. Her tail was dragging in the dirt and her head was low. Link and Teranika followed her at a much slower pace.

Link was puzzled about many things at this point. Who were this patrol he just met and why was the cat spirit in such a fowl mood. Link turned his head to look at Teranika.

"Hey Teranika," Link whispered.

Teranika's right ear flicked towards him. "Yeah?"

"I know the names of these guys, but what else can you tell me about them?"

Teranika turned her head to look at him and she dipped her head quickly. "Well, for starters, it's a patrol. Patrols are a group of beasts that walk around the forest and look out for intruders or food. This patrol is composed of some younger warriors."

"I get that. But who are these guys?"

Teranika rolled her eyes and sighed. "The snake is Naal, as you already know. And as you already know, he is very curious. The wolf, Kael, is a hot-head who thinks he is stronger then everyone else, including me. And the cat is Ailis. She doesn't really talk that much but she is really cunning. But that is what I hear."

"Why is she being so quiet?"

Teranika shook her head. "I don't know. Remember, doesn't talk much?"

Link rolled his eyes at Teranika. "So…who is Aideen?"

"The head shaman or in other words, our main healer," Teranika said.

"I'm not an idiot. You didn't have to break it down for me."

Teranika smirked at him. "Yeah, well…I felt like breaking it down for you."

"You know, Teranika. Sometimes you can be such a jerk."

"Yeah…I know. At least I didn't eat you or your horse."

"Hm…good point."

* * *

"Whoa…THIS is the gathering place?!"

Teranika smirked at him. "Yeah. Not what you expected, eh?"

"No!" Link said as he snapped his head to Teranika. Teranika chuckled at him and flicked her tail at his arm.

The gathering place of the beasts had both shelters made of large rock and brush shelters as well. Each was nicely constructed and each was large enough to fit about five Teranikas. Outside of the dens, some beasts sat outside, talking to one other or sleeping in the sun, which was now peeping out of the clouds. To the west from the entrance was a path that, Link guessed at least, led to the river Teranika was talking about. There were no trees in the place, but the great trees of the forest surrounded the clearing.

"Link," Teranika whispered sharply.

"What?" He whispered back.

"Make sure you thank these young warriors," Teranika said raising her voice so that Naal and the others could hear her. Link looked at her oddly. But then, he saw Kael turn and looked at him. The smoke gray wolf looked at him with a brow raised-like expression.

Link smiled uncomfortably at him. Now, Ailis and Naal were looking at him with the same expression, just Naal's was slightly softer.

Ailis cleared her throat, while Kael moved in on him. "Well?" He growled. "We're waiting…"

Link gulped. "Um…thank you," he said hesitantly.

"Humph," Kael said, throwing his head to the side. "Whatever…I'm going to the kill pile."

Kael turned away from them and walked further into the gathering place. Ailis looked at Link and Teranika. She dipped her head respectfully and then ran after Kael. Naal, on the other hand, took the appreciation more kindly.

"It is no problem," Naal said kindly to Link.

"Naal! Let's go!" Link heard Kael yell.

"Coming!" Naal shouted back in Kael's direction. Then, the snake looked at Link. "It was nice meeting you. I will be looking forward to use meeting again and the possibility of us sharing tongues of our encounters."

Link smiled politely, even though he felt kind of uncomfortable about "sharing tongues" part, at Naal.

"Will look forward to it," Link said to Naal.

Naal smiled at him. "Well, good-bye for now." He turned his head to look at Teranika and he dipped his head respectfully to her. "Farewell, Teranika."

"Farewell, Naal," Teranika said back to him, dipping her head respectfully as well. "I will see you later. Make sure Kael stays out of trouble."

"Will do," Naal said as he turned towards the direction Kael and Ailis went. "Farewell."

Link waved one last good-bye as Naal slithered away and disappeared as he went further into the gathering place. Link then slid off of Epona's back and landed on his feet on the earth. He looked at Teranika.

"Um…now where we go to?" Link asked as he took Epona's reins over her head.

"To Aideen's den…of course," Teranika answered. "We need to get that arm of yours cursed right now. Before it's too late."

"Too late for what?" Link asked, turning his head to look at Teranika.

Teranika looked at him and smirked at him. "Before you go mad and kill us all."

Link narrowed his eyes at her. "Gee wiz…you sure are nice."

Teranika chuckled at him and flicked his head with her tail. "Let's go."

Teranika walked forward. Link followed the wolf and led Epona forward. Epona had become a lot more relaxed then when they first entered the land of Alana through a portal known as the Moonstone. Her ears were perked as she listened in on the unfamiliar sounds of this land.

As the group neared the brush and stone houses, the animals who were outside stopped their conversations and looked at Link. Some of the young spirits, who were playing in the street like place in between the houses, stopped what they were doing and looked at Teranika and the strange "thing" following her. The young spirits moved off to the side, but continued to look at Link. Some more spirits came out of their shelters to look at the group. Despite there being so many, the atmosphere was quiet.

Teranika walk on, with her white head held high. Her red markings that were on her back seemed brighter in the sun's light. Link didn't feel as confident as Teranika but he tried to look like it. He walked on with his head high and his back straight.

Then Teranika stopped. Link did the same and Epona stopped at his side. Walking towards them was a horse that was about the size of Epona. He had a rich black pelt with a long following man and tail. Unlike most of the spirits he has met and seen, he had no markings. He seemed old because each time he took a step, his leg bones would creak.

When the old horse was a few feet from Teranika, he stopped. His deep brown eyes looked at Teranika, then at Link and Epona. His eyes were filled with knowledge and knowing. His brown gaze then went to Teranika.

"Greetings," The horse said to Teranika, bowing his head respectfully. Teranika returned his greeting and bowed her head as well.

"Welcome home, Teranika," The horse said, his voice sounded rough and hoarse. "I see you have a friend."

"Yes…I do," Teranika confirmed.

The horse looked at Link and walked closer to him. Link stood still, trying to remain relaxed and confident. But it felt like the horse was looking through his soul.

"What…is your name, young man?" The horse asked.

"M-my name is Link," Link said, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "This is my horse Epona. We come from a place far from here."

The horse's eyes softened a little. "You come from Hyrule?"

Link nodded. "Yes. How did you know?"

"You smell of its creatures and people," The horse said. "I might be an old horse, but I'm not a fool. My name is Delano. I welcome you to Alana, behalf of all of its creatures. Why and how did you convince Teranika to bring you here?"

Link froze up. He didn't convince Teranika to bring him here to this unknown place. Teranika just brought him here so he could get help from her healer.

"Um…I-"

"I brought him here," Teranika said openly with no fear in her voice.

Everyone looked at her, some gasped as they heard Teranika's confession. Link looked at Teranika in worry.

"Teranika," He said with fret in his voice. "What are you doing?"

Teranika lifted her tail up a little to silence him. The wolf's red eyes narrowed at Delano.

"Is this true Teranika?" Delano asked in a muttered voice. His deep colored eyes gazed at the wolf coldly.

"Yes it is," Teranika answered in the same tone. Then she spun around to look at the other beasts. She raised her voice so that everyone could hear. "Listen to me. This boy fought along side me when I went to his village to fight one of the rogues. He fought if the bravery and courage of any warrior I've met. But as the monster fell, he got cursed. Link, raise your right arm so my kin can see it for themselves."

Link gulped and slowly raised up his right arm, showing the beasts of Alana the curse the cat demon placed on him back at his home. As they looked upon the black mark that covered almost his entire arm, the beasts gasped and looked at the mark with wide eyes. Then, they began having hushed conversations with one another about the curse the beast placed on him.

Teranika raised her voice again, quieting out the conversations. "That is why I brought him here. Right now, only Aideen can save him from this curse. He is a brave soul for being able to stand up to a monster like that. If anyone has a problem with that, speak up and challenge me…"

The beasts remained silent as they looked upon Teranika.

"I feel like Teranika made a strong point," A voice called out.

Everyone turned to the direction of the voice. Walking down the path was a noble looking dragon. He had a long white furred body, like Naal's, with four legs that resembled to the feet of a chickens'. He had a flame red mane that started at his forehead and went on to the tip of his tail. He had two very long black whiskers that grew on the sides of his nostrils. Like all the other beasts, he had red markings that swirled and twirled on the sides of his long body. The dragon took his place and stood next to Delano. His powerful, intimidating red eyes looked on at Link. Link lowered his arms and looked into the eyes of the dragon, trying not to show any fear.

"Hello, young one," The dragon said kindly. "My name is Morag. It has been a very long time since a human as stepped foot in this land. I welcome you."

Link nodded politely. Morag's eyes narrowed in on Link. The sharp red eyes of the dragon seemed to scan through him. Link trembled slightly as the dragon looked at him. He gulped quietly. He gripped harder onto Epona's reins with his left hand. In response to her master's tension, the mare did the same.

But Morag's gaze softened and he let out a small chuckle.

"You have made a long journey to this place…a journey that many would never even think of taking. Teranika was wise to bring you here and caring enough to bring you here in one piece."

Link looked over at Teranika. The wolf's chest seemed to puff out proudly when Morag made his comment. Then Link looked back at Morag and Delano.

"May I ask something?" Link asked in a quiet voice.

All the eyes of the beast seemed to be on him as he spoke. Delano nodded at him. "Yes…you may speak," the dark horse said.

"I-is it alright if I can see your healer?" Link asked, raising his voice a little so that he could be heard. "Please…I've made a long journey and I wish to have treatment."

That was when all of the forest seemed like it stood still. The beasts next to their shelters looked at Morag and Delano. Link looked at the two as well. The dragon and horse looked at Link's face, looking for a fault of any kind. But the youth of Ordon kept a straight, strong face, showing no default at all.

Delano looked at Morag and Morag looked at Delano. The two nodded at each other and then looked back at Link. A smile curled on Morag's fine white lips.

"Link, human who hails from the land of Hyrule," Delano began. "We accept your request and will allow to stay here in Alana as long as you need to."

Morag looked around at the other beasts. "That means that we must treat him as one of our own. Is that perfectly clear?"

The other beasts hesitated and looked at one another. Then, small mutterings of approval were heard. After that, the beasts looked once more at Link, then retreated to their shelters, leaving Link and Epona with Teranika, Morag and Delano.

"Well…I should take to Aideen," Morag said. "That arm of yours needs attention right away."

"Wait!" Link said. He looked at Epona. "What should I do with her?"

"I was going back to the clearing where the rest of the horses reside," Delano said. "If you wish, I can bring her there with me."

Link began stroking the fur on Epona's shoulder and looked at Delano. "Are you okay with that?"

"Of course," Delano said, nodding his head. "There is plenty of grass to graze and cool water nearby. The horses there are friendly and wouldn't hurt her. In fact, they'd probably think she is long lost family member."

Link smiled softly. He walked to the front of Epona and unlatched her bridle. He pulled the leather over her head and the horse spat out the bit. He placed the bridle on his shoulder and he placed his hand on Epona's forehead. She nickered softly at him. Link smiled a little more.

"You be a good girl now," Link murmured softly to Epona. Epona responded by dipping her head. "I will see you later."

Link turned around and looked at Delano. "Here you go."

Delano walked up to Epona and nickered something at her. Then he turned around and walked away with Epona following after him. Link watched the two horses walk down the path till they disappeared.

"Don't worry Link," Teranika said. She placed her tail on his shoulder reassuringly. "Delano keeps his word. He would never let anything happen to her."

Link looked at Teranika and nodded slowly at her.

"Come on," Morag said. "Let us go."

Morag began walking on and Link and Teranika followed after the dragon. The gathering place seemed a lot quieter now then when Link first arrived. Teranika and Link were walking side by side while Morag was a little ways ahead of them. Link looked at Teranika.

"Hey Teranika," He whispered to the wolf. She turned her head to the side to look at him. "The rest of the beasts seem to really listen to Delano and Morag really well. Why is that?"

"Morag and Delano are two of the most powerful beasts in the forest," Teranika explained in a whisper. "Legend has it that the ancestors and ancients of past divided the elements of the world and gave them to six beasts. Morag has the ability to invoke fire and Delano has strong mental abilities. The other four have yet to be known."

"If you don't know the other four, how do you know those two?" Link asked.

"Delano has had that ability since he was a colt. Morag just found his out recently. But I can tell you that story later. Right now, we have to get you cured."

Link rolled his eyes at Teranika. "Can't you tell me now?"

"I would…but I don't feel like it."

"Oh, hush up. Besides we're here."

"Huh?" Link said as he looked at a very large den made of stone.

The den had large white stonewalls and was about the size of five of the brush shelters the beasts used. The entrance was a hole that could fit one Teranika; anything else would have to lower their head. From the entrance came the sweet scent of herbs and spices. Link's arm began to tingle a little just by standing outside the den.

"This is Aideen's home," Morag said.

Teranika grunted. "Sorry, I have to go see someone. But I'll be here when you get out, okay Link?"

Link looked at Teranika. "Who are you seeing?"

"I just said," Teranika said with her classic smirk. She turned around and was about to leave. "Good luck." But she froze and looked back at Link. "Oh, and Link. If Sappho annoys you, just tell me and I'll shut her up."

Teranika turned her head forward and began running off. Link held up his left. "Hey, wait! Who's Sappho?!"

But the wolf was gone. Link sighed and looked at Morag. "Do you know who she is?"

"Of course I do," Morag said rolling his eyes. "Everyone here does. Trust me…as soon as you get in there, you'll understand why Teranika said that…"

Link looked at Morag for a second and cocked his head. Morag shook himself and then walked closer to the entrance.

"Alright," Morag said, clearing his throat at the same time. "When you get in there, you will see either Sappho or Aideen. More than likely, you will see Sappho. They will ask you why you are here. You just have to tell them of how you and Teranika fought the black monster and then show them your arm. If Sappho tries to turn you away, come get me. I'll explain to her better."

Link nodded. Morag nodded at him and turned around. "I wish you luck."

"Thank you," Link said with a smile on his face. "I guess I will see you later."

"Yes, good bye," Morag said with a smile on his face to. Then the dragon walked away. Link watched the long-bodied dragon disappear into the street in between the brush shelters.

Then Link turned to look at the entrance of the den. He placed his left hand on the marked arm. He took a deep breath and took one step into the den. He was in a dark pathway that led up to a lit room just ten feet away. The room seemed to be lit by a torch at its entrance. The scent of the herbs grew stronger as he walked closer and closer to the room.

When he got into to the end, he was in very small room that had a small wooden desk in it and a bookshelf along the right hand wall. There were two other entrances, besides the one Link just went through, that more then likely led to other rooms. Link looked around at the stonewalls of the small room. It reminded him of an office he would find back home.

"Hey! What do you want?" The young female voice shouted, startling Link.

Link looked down and saw a tiger standing with her front paws on the desk, looking directly at Link. Link shouted a little and backed away from the tiger. The tiger was small, about half the size of Teranika. She had white fur with sapphire-blue lightning bolt shaped stripes. She had a very long white tail with a black tip at the end. Her blue eyed looked at him in an annoyed manner as her lips curled up into snarl.

"Well…I'm waiting," She growled. Her front right paw began tapping in an irritated manner as she waited for an answer.

Link had to think of something before the angry little she-cat would rip his throat out.

"I-I-I need to see to Aideen," Link stammered. "He is the only who c-c-can help me."

The tiger jumped down and walked around the desk to look at him. Link shivered as the tigress walked around him, sniffing his legs. When she finished, she backed away and looked at him.

"Why should I?" She asked in a mocking tone.

Link held up his right arm and he pointed at it. "T-this is why…"

The tiger looked at it and she rolled her eyes. "How 'bout this? I think you're pretty cute, for a human." A teasing glow flashed in her blue eyes. "How 'bout I make you a chew toy? I'd like that a lot more than getting Aideen for you."

Link smiled uncomfortably at her. "Um…I wouldn't really like that."

"Hoho! But I would!" She said as she swiped her tongue across her lips.

"Sappho!" A powerful voice boomed from one of the different rooms. The tiger's ears went back and she rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that we turn down no one who is in trouble?"

"Too much to count…" Sappho grumbled.

Link looked around for the creature that quieted Sappho.

Then a large beast came from the right entrance. The beast was a very tall stag that could tower over Teranika. He had a numerous amount of horns that grew from his head, and some even grew on his long neck. His brown pelt glowed in the torch's light. He had no markings like the other beasts but he did have an interesting pattern on his face. A light green mark, in between two light pink ones, that went down the middle of his face. His large hazel eyes looked at Sappho and narrowed. But the tigress ignored him and looked at the wall.

"Sorry Aideen…"She muttered.

Aideen rolled his eyes at her and then looked at Link. His hazel gaze softened and he walked up to Link.

"I've been expecting you, young Link," Aideen said.

"How do you know my name?" Link asked.

"I heard the commotion from outside, of course," Aideen said. "I'm sorry if Sappho caused any trouble for you."

"Um…Its alright," Link mumbled.

"So…why is it you come here?" Aideen asked.

"This," Link said holding up his right arm.

Aideen, and even Sappho, looked at the arm. Both of their eyes widened as they looked at the nearly covered arm.

"How the heck did you get this?" Sappho asked.

"I fought against a cursed monster," Link said monotone-like, as he remember the attack the giant cat spirit did. "He attacked my home and I had no choice but to fight him. Teranika was there too. We fought alongside each other. But, before she killed him, the monster bit my right arm. Now, I'm cursed. Teranika brought me here, in hopes of getting healed."

Aideen's gentle eyes hardened with focus, as he looked closer at the arm. He brought his nose down to sniff the arm. The den fell silent; the only noise was that of the conversations from outside.

After several moments, Aideen brought up his head and he walked toward the entrance that was right across from the bookshelf.

"Follow me," He muttered as he walked through the entrance.

Sappho nodded and followed after the stag. Link froze and looked at the entrance. He lowered his hand and looked at the blackened arm.

"Hey!" Sappho shouted, poking her head out of the entrance to look at Link. "You coming or not?"

Link looked at Sappho and nodded. He walked up to where she was. The tiger snorted and turned around, her tail nearly hitting Link in the face. Link rolled his eyes and followed after her. The scent of the herbs grew even stronger as he entered the new room.

The new room was a lot bigger than the one he was just in. In the ceiling of the room, there was a hole that let in light. Directly under the light was a flat rock. The rock was covered with moss and hay. Link guessed that must be the "operating table". He looked around the rest of the room. There were ten bookshelves, each covered with jars filled with herbs, spices and other remedies. Aideen was at one of the shelves, picking up a jar with his mouth.

He placed the jar down on the clear surface of the shelf. He turned his head to look at Link.

"Please," He said. "Lay down on the stone."

Link looked at Aideen and nodded. He walked to the flat rock and got onto it. He lay on his back and looked up at the hole. The sun's light beamed through it and onto it face. Besides the fact that the rock was uncomfortable, even with moss and hay covering it, the sun felt really nice.

He heard Aideen's hooves as the stag walked up to him. Sappho was by his side with a white porcelain cup in her mouth.

"Drink the liquid in the cup," Aideen said quietly. "Then, you will fall asleep. Then, I will perform the procedure."

Sappho walked closer to Link. He took the cup from her mouth and thanked her. Sappho smirked at him.

"I'd think happy thoughts if I were you," Sappho said in a horrifyingly cute manner. "That stuff is disgusting."

Link ignored Sappho and drank the liquid from the cup in one gulp. It went down good, but the after taste was horrible. Link tried his best just to keep it from coming up. But after some moments past, he felt fine.

"I told you so!" Sappho laughed. "What an idiot!"

Link looked at Sappho and glared.

"Oh be quiet, you…you…you…" He said as his mind began to slip and go black. The liquid worked and now he was asleep. And as he slept and as the day became night, Aideen worked on him to break the curse the cat monster placed on him.


	5. Queen of the Land of Spirits

**Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana**

**Chapter Five: Queen of the Land of Spirits**

* * *

"Link…" An old voice rasped. "Are you awake yet?"

"Maybe he's dead," A young female voice said. She paused before continuing on. "Can I take him to my den and make him my new chew toy? He looks awfully tasty."

The older voice groaned. "Sappho…he's not dead. He is just resting."

Sappho groaned overdramatically. "You're no fun, you know that?"

"Shh! I think he's waking up."

Link's eyes tightened up and he turned to his side. Laying on a flat rock all night seemed to be showing its discomfort. His hands gripped tighter on the white animal pelt that was covering him. His left hand softened and touched the soft surface gently.

Link's eyes then began to open up slowly. He waited a moment, just so that his eyes would get adjusted to the sun's bright light. He blinked once and then once again. He turned over to his other side and saw Sappho, the young sassy tigress he met the day before, right in front of his face. Her big blue eyes sparkled in the sun's light as she looked at him. Her very long tail swayed from side to side as she purred loudly.

"Morning Link!" Sappho meowed cheerfully. "I hope you didn't hear that junk about me wanting to use you as a chew toy. I was just kidding! How are you?"

Link blinked at her and tried to process what she just said. But he just sat up and shook his head, freeing his hair from any moss and hay that was in it. "Um…just a little stiff. That's all."

"That is generally a side affect, young one," the old voice said behind him.

Link turned to face behind him and saw Aideen, the great stag who was the high shaman in Alana. He was a kind old stag with many horns that grew from his head.His hazel eyes seemed to carry the knowledge of years past and every herbal ingredient a shaman must know. They also seemed to carry the type of fatherly glow one might have.

Aideen looked at Link. His hazel eyes brimmed with a little confidence. The stag walked over to Link, his hooves making a "clip-clop" noise as they landed on the rock ground. Aideen stopped and stood on Link's right side. He lowered his head low enough to touch the white blanket with his lips. His lips curled up and with his teeth he grabbed the corner of the pelt blanket and pulled it off of Link's upper body.

Link watched as the medicine spirit slowly pull off the blanket. When it was pulled back far enough, he looked down at his right arm. White bandages, with pieces of green and red herbs sticking out a little, were wrapped tightly around the cursed arm.

"Since I don't want to bite you and Sappho would probably purposely try to bite you," Aideen said softly, glaring at Sappho as he said her name. His hazel gaze flicked back to Link. "I want you to remove the bandage."

Link looked at Aideen and nodded. Then, he looked at the bandaged arm. He found where the bandage was knotted at the top of his arm undid it with his left hand. After the knot came out, he slowly unwrap the bandage. Green and red leaves fell to the ground as he removed the bandage. His hand shook with both anticipation and fear as the bandage became looser. Link looked away and closed his eyes; for fear that the cure Aideen tried didn't work. If it didn't, the wolf spirit Teranika told him that he would become a blood-thirsty monster who will slowly be driven into insanity and then die in a pain fashion. That was something no one would want.

When the bandage came off completely, Link felt Aideen's soft nose touch his skin. Link heard Sappho snort and he turned his head to look at her.

"Geez…are you chicken?" Sappho asked in a mocking tone.

"Oh, shut up," Link muttered as he narrowed his eyes.

Sappho rolled her eyes at him. "Well you're acting like one."

"Sappho, hush now," Aideen hissed at her. Then his voice became calm as he spoke to Link. "Young Link, look at your arm. I think you will be pleased."

Link turned his head slowly away from Sappho to look at his right arm. When he looked at his arm, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

The dark mark that almost completely covered his arm had disappeared. All that was left was a fading black bite mark on his wrist, the place where the cursed cat spirit bit him.

Link looked up at Aideen and shook his head in disbelief.

"I…I don't know what to say…"Link said quietly.

"A simple thank you is plenty, young man," Aideen said as he bowed his head.

Link dipped his head respectfully. "Thank you, medicine spirit."

Aideen's hazel stare warmed up. "You needn't call me that. Just call me by my name."

Link smiled like a fool at the deer.

"Now, if the fading mark darkens to its original color, come back here to see me. I have something to get rid of the remaining part of it. But, as far as I can see, you are free of your curse!"

"You better be thankful that we saved you," Sappho purred.

Aideen looked at her and shook his head sighing. Then he looked back at Link.

"You can leave the den now," Aideen said. "I'm sure Teranika wants to see how you are doing."

Link's eyes widened and he nodded. Teranika was the great wolf spirit who saved him and his village and escorted him to seek treatment for the curse the curse an evil cat spirit placed on him.

"I will right now," Link said as he stood up and moved up from the rock. He turned toward the exit of the room and began walking towards it.

"Be sure to thank her too," Link heard Aideen say. "She went through a lot of trouble just to get you and Epona here in one piece. The least she deserves is a thank you."

Link stopped and looked at the great deer. He was right. Teranika risked her life fighting alongside him and she was able to get him to the only place he could get cured in one piece. Even when Link though she was lying, Teranika would prove she wasn't and told him countless times that she would never kill him or Epona. Teranika was a very loyal companion and kept to her word that she would bring them to Alana safely.

Link smiled softly and nodded once. "I will."

"Good," Aideen said, dipping his head. "Farewell, may the ancestors walk with you."

"Buh-bye, Linky!" Sappho trilled.

Link waved at them and walked out of the room and out of the shaman's den. At the entrance, he looked at the sky. The sun was hanging in the blue sky. Hardly a cloud was in sight and the air felt. It wasn't a sticky humid warm, but it felt relaxing.

Link looked down from the sky. Some of the beasts were outside of their dens and were talking to others. From the west, he could hear the river that was near the settlement.

Link sighed and closed his eyes. He began thinking about his home village of Ordon. Even though he was far from it, the calm atmosphere of the gathering place felt the same as Ordon's. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to go back home with Epona.

"Well…look who is up," A very familiar voice said behind him.

Link's eyes shot open and turned around. He saw Teranika, lying elegantly on a flat rock that was above the entrance to Aideen's den. She looked down at him with her familiar smirk on her face. Link straightened up and smiled at her.

"Hi Teranika," He greeted her warmly.

The wolf dipped her head in greeting. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, but better than I have been feeling."

"I could've guessed. Aideen used some powerful medicine and magic on you. Is it cured though? Is the curse broken?"

"He thinks so," Link said as he held up his arm so Teranika could see. "I mean, it doesn't hurt anymore and the mark is almost completely gone."

"That's good," Teranika said as she lowered her head onto her front paws.

Link looked away and lowered his arm. He waited a second and then looked back at Teranika.

"Teranika, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Teranika asked without moving her head up.

Link gulped. "I want to th-"

"Link! Someone wants to see you!"

Link turned around and Teranika lifted her head. A dragon came walking briskly up to him. It was the dragon Morag. He stopped a few feet in front of Link and he looked at Link.

"Hi," Link greeted casually. "Who wants to see me?"

"The Lady wants to," Morag said, dipping his head formally.

Link cocked his head to the side. "Um…who's she?"

"She is a very important person, Link," Teranika said from her rock.

Morag looked up at Teranika and nodded. "Yes, what Teranika said."

"Can she wait a second?" Link asked. Morag looked at Link and question flashed in his eyes. "I was about to say something to Teranika."

"No Link," Teranika said calmly. "The Lady wants to see you. I can wait till later."

"Are you sure?" Link asked her.

"Of course," Teranika reassured. "It's rare, in fact very very rare, having guests get summoned to her. Go…she is waiting."

Link paused and looked at Teranika. The wolf chuckled and lowered her head back onto her large front paws.

"Don't worry. I'll still be here. Morag is a good friend. He would never fool anyone."

Morag dipped his head after Teranika's comment. Link smiled slightly at the wolf and nodded. He then turned to Morag and looked at the dragon.

"I'm ready," Link said to Morag.

Morag nodded. "Good. Let us go now." He looked up back at Teranika. "Farewell."

"Farewell, well my friends," She said before closing her eyes.

Morag walked onward with Link following at his side. As they walked through the path between the brush dens, Link asked, "Who is the Lady you and Teranika were talking about?"

Morag spoke without looking at Link. "She is a very powerful spirit who watches over this land with her very keen eyes."

"So…she's like a queen or something?"

Morag looked at him. "Yes in a way. But that is all I can say for now. More will be revealed when you see her with her eyes."

Link looked down and sighed. They were walking towards the path that led to the river. Teranika told Link that the river was the primary water source of the beasts and spirits that lived in Alana. He could hear the sound of the river and it grew louder as he got on to the path.

Link looked down at the dirt path as he walked. He looked at the tracks of the beasts of the land. Some were the large paw prints of a full grown wolf or cat beast; some were small hoof prints that seemed to belong to a young colt or fawn. There were even some tracks that seemed to belong to a bird beast or spirit.

"Something troubles you?" Morag asked.

Link jerked his head up and looked at Morag. The dragon's eyes were warm and questioning.

Link shook his head. "No…I'm fine."

"Alright," Morag said, nodding once. "There is a small path we turn onto coming up that leads to the Lady's den."

Link nodded. The path got wider as they walked down it. Link could see the banks of the river if he squinted his eyes.

Morag stopped and looked to the right. Link realized that he should stop too, almost running into Morag as he noticed. Link looked at Morag to see where he was looking.

He saw a steep narrow path that led downwards. Trees stood very close to the sides of the dirt and rock trail.

"That is the path we must take," Morag muttered.

The dragon walked towards the trail and began moving slowly down it. Rocks tumbled down as he moved. His body was tense as he walked cautiously down, sliding a little as he went. Link could hear the claws of the dragon scrape against some of the rocks that stuck out.

Morag stopped by digging his claws into the ground and looked back at Link, who was still at the top of the path.

"Are you coming?" Morag called out. "It won't be too hard for you because you don't have claws as I do."

Link smiled a little and began trekking down the steep path. Morag smiled softly and began walking on. Link walked slower than Morag, keeping his distance just in case he would slip and fall. Surely, Morag wouldn't really appreciate that.

In no time, the two made it to the end of the path. The dirt became lush grass and the trees parted away to make a small clearing. Ahead of them was a den that looked more like a stone hill with an opening in it. A soft breeze blew and the cave began to make a moaning sound. The breeze stopped and so did the moans. Link looked at Morag.

"Is she in there?" Link asked.

"Yes," Morag said as he nodded his head. "We call this part of her den the Cave of Moaning Spirits. But once you past through there, there is a place called the Place of Calming Waters. She resides there."

"Why is it called that?" Link asked.

"You will see when we get there."

Link nodded slowly, taking in the information Morag just told him. Morag walked off unto the clearing. Link followed closely behind him. When they were in front of the entrance, Morag stopped and looked at Link.

"Before we enter, I must tell you something," Morag said in a hushed voice. "No talking as we walk through the cave. Legend has it that is you speak, the ancestors that protect the cave will take you away to a different world and you will never see the light ever again."

Link gulped, taking in Morag's advice. After just getting his curse broken, he wouldn't enjoy getting whisked away to another world.

Morag looked at him with a very serious expression on his face. "Are you ready to go through?"

Ink nodded at the dragon. Morag smiled at him and proceeded into the moaning cavern. Link followed the dragon at a close distance. The cave had no lighting but Link was certain that Morag knew the way through the cave. Since he couldn't ask where the dragon was, Link just listened to the footsteps to keep track of where Morag was.

As they continued through the cave, blue crystals, arranged in rune-like patterns on the rock walls, appeared and lit the cavern. Now Link had a good sense of where he was going.

The cave let out a moaning sound again. Link froze as he felt a cold breeze hit his back. He looked down at the rock ground and saw leaves being blown forward past him. Morag grunted, making Link look up.

The dragon jerked his head in the direction they were going and kept walking. Link looked behind him. He took a deep breath and walked after Morag.

By then, the moaning had ceased, but the breeze was still pushing him forward. Why did he feel like the cave was pushing in further?

He looked up and saw a brilliant blue light at the end of the tunnel. Link smiled, thankful that he was almost out of the moaning cave. He wanted to run past Morag and get out of the cave. But, he didn't want to look foolish in front of the "very important person".

Finally, they entered the Place of Calming Waters. The breeze pushing Link stopped as soon as he placed one foot into the new place.

It was a very large room with rock walls. Link in the tunnel, the rocks had the blue crystal rune inscriptions that glow faintly. At the ceiling, in the middle, was a hole that allowed light to shine through.

But the unusual thing about the room was the very large pond. There was a sliver a flat rock land that was in front of the entrance, but from there onward was a clear beautiful pond.

"This is the Place of Calming Waters," Morag said. "The place where our Lady slumbers."

Link looked around. There was no lady, just rock and water. He turned to look at Morag, who was standing next to the entrance.

"Where is she?" Link asked. "All I see is you and the pond."

Morag chuckled. "Link…I want you to walk to the water's edge and close your eyes. Then, relax and listen to the water."

Link's jaw clenched and he froze up.

"Don't worry," Morag reassured him. "Nothing bad will happen."

Link's tension faded a little and he gave Morag a little nod. He turned to look at the water. He took a deep breath and walked up to the water's edge. He stood up straight and he closed his eyes. His muscles began to relax as he listened to the sound of the water. As he thought about it and relaxed even more, he thought that the name of this place seemed to suit it well.

But then, he heard the water of the pond begin to stir. His eyes shot open and now he was face-to-face with a giant fox. He shouted in surprise and fell onto his back. He backed away, his eyes large in shock.

The fox was a little larger than Teranika was in size. Half of her white body was submerged in water. Her giant front paws were on the rock ground and they held her up. Link looked closely at her face. Her soft green eyes looked down at him. On her head was a golden crown with diamonds encrusted in it. Nine spikes, each with a diamond jewel on the top, poked out of the top. Unlike the other beasts Link had met, the fox had no markings on her body. He took in the scent of the air. A sweet scent came off of the fox and surrounded Link. Link recognized the scent almost immediately. It was the same as the fox's scent he seen when he first entered Alana.

"I am sorry if I startled you," The fox said in a calm voice. "I know many things seem different to you now…"

Link stood up and brushed himself off, not taking his eyes off of the fox's beauty.

"Its fine…"Link muttered. He turned to see if Morag was still there but he was gone. "Where did Morag go?"

"I let him go," The fox said. "He did enough and he brought you here. That was all he had to do."

Link looked into the soft green eyes of the fox. "Who…are you?"

"I am Keita….Queen of Alana."

Link's eyes widened and he bowed, showing his respect to the fox queen.

"I am Link," Link said as he straightened up. "I come from the land of Hyrule."

"It is nice to meet you," Keita said warmly. "Did Aideen break your curse?"

"Yes he did," Link said as he held up his arm to show Keita the fading mark.

"That is good to hear…I am terribly sorry that had happened to you. I wish I could've prevented it in some way."

Link looked at her and shook his head. "No, it's not okay. You couldn't have helped it. I probably deserved it…"

Keita chuckled. "I highly doubt that. You were brave to fight alongside my warrior to defend your home. Teranika told me that you were a noble fighter with the courage of a mighty beast."

Link blushed a little and looked at the ground. "Er…thank you."

"But, tell me…did Teranika give you the name of the spirit who cursed you?"

Link looked back at Teranika and shook his head. "No…we didn't even talk about him as we made our way here."

"His name was Pyrrhus. He was one of my strongest warriors. Lately, beasts have been disappearing from Alana and then they reappear in Hyrule as evil, black creatures. I have sent my warriors to Hyrule to track them down and kill them before they can do great harm."

Keita paused and looked down at the ground. "It saddens me that I have to kill my friends and kin…It also angers me…"

Link looked at her. "Why does it anger you?"

Keita looked at him. "Because I have no idea who or what is turning them into blood-thirsty creatures. Now…I sense a great danger that will fall on both-"

"Mother!" A voice shouted from behind Link. "I need to tell you something!"

Link turned around and saw a nine-tailed fox that looked exactly like Keita. She was just shorter and didn't have a crown. But unlike Keita, the fox had purple markings that swirled on her head and body.

"Oh!" The fox said as she looked at Link. "I'm sorry…I didn't know you had a guest here.

"Its fine," Link said with a smile.

"What is it Airlia?" Keita asked.

"Someone got attacked by a rogue monster. She fell unconscious after I killed it. I couldn't just leave her to die, so I brought her here."

Keita nodded. "I see…Did you get the girl's name?"

"No," Airlia said. "But she seems pretty important." Airlia looked at Link. "I think he might have a pretty good idea of who she might be."

Link looked at Keita in confusion. Keita narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "If you think so…then I believe you." Keita looked at Link. "Link…if it is no trouble to you, can you see if you can identify the girl?"

Link nodded. "I might know." He turned to Airlia. "You said she seemed important, right?"

"Yes, sir," the fox said politely. She looked at him with her violet eyes. "I am Airlia. I take it you are named Link?"

Link nodded. "Yeah…it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Airlia replied. "But we should probably hurry now. The girl is in Kallias's den." She looked past Link and walked up to her mother. She pressed her nose onto Keita's and then walked back towards Link.

"If you do recognize the girl, please inform me," Keita said softly to Link.

"I will," Link promised.

Keita's stare softened to a warm and motherly gaze. "Thank you…"

"You can hop on my back," Airlia said to Link. "I can get us there a lot quicker that way."

Link looked at Airlia and nodded. He went to her left side and mounted like would if it were a horse. Once settled on her back, he grabbed a handful of her smooth white fur.

Airlia turned her head to the side to look at him.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

Link smiled at her. "Yeah." He looked back at Keita. "Bye. It was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you too," Keita said softly. "Farewell now…"

Before Link was looking forward, Airlia began running out of the Place of Calming Waters. At first, he was startled. But when he got into the rhythm of Airlia's strides, it felt more he was on the back of Epona.

Link turned his head back to see if Keita was still in the pond, but the queen was gone.

* * *

"No way…how are we going to get up THAT?" Link asked as he was looking up.

"Don't get your tights in a bunch," Airlia sighed. "There is an easy way to get up."

Airlia, with Link still sitting on her back, was standing front of a very tall tree that seemed to stretch up to the heavens. From what Airlia told him, Kallias's den was nestled somewhere up in the tree. What surprised Link was how tall the tree actually was.

"Are you sure?" Link asked. "I'm sure you can't just sprout wings and fly us up."

Airlia rolled her eyes and began walking around the tree. Then, her eyes caught something. A very large basket, that could fit her easily, was lying on one of the large roots of the tree.

"There it is!" Airlia yipped cheerfully.

"That basket?" Link asked in disbelief. "We're way too heavy for it…"

Airlia chuckled under her breath. "That's what you think…"

Airlia padded up to the basket and sniffed it. With her jaws, she got the basket to stand upright. As that happened, a vine attached to the handles of the basket appeared. The vine went up and tightened as Airlia tugged on the basket.

"There we go," Airlia said. She gave Link a sneaky smile. "Clever, right?"

"I guess so…" Link muttered. "What's next?"

Airlia walked into the basket and with one of her long tails, Airlia wrapped it around the vine. She tugged on it and released her tail.

Several moments past and nothing happened. Link glared down at the fox.

"That didn't do anything…" Link muttered.

"Wait for it…" Airlia said quietly.

"Oh sure…I could've just-"

Before Link could finish his sentence, the basket shot up. Link was so startled he wrapped his arms around Airlia's neck. The fox was standing quietly, humming a small tune as the basket went up.

Just as sudden as it had happened, the basket stopped. Link's head was pressed down into Airlia's neck fur. One of the long white tails came up from behind and tapped Link on the shoulder.

"Oh Link," Airlia purred. "We're here and you can let go of my neck."

Link looked up and unwrapped his arms. He sat up and looked around. The basket was hanging a few feet from a very long, wide branch. The branch led to the trunk of the tree. The trunk of the large tree seemed to be the size of a small cottage.

"Is that where she's at?" Link asked.

Airlia nodded. "Yes. I thought she would be safe there till Aideen was not so busy."

The fox jumped onto the branch. She quickly swiped her paw with her tongue and padded over to the trunk of the tree. As the fox trotted, Link looked at the neighboring branches and the small birds that were perched in them. Most of them were resting in their nests made of twigs, brush, and moss along with their mates. They were huddled together closely, as they were lovers. Link fell into a deep thought, wondering what it would be like to share feelings with someone like that.

"Hey Link," Airlia said softly, snapping him out of his dream. "You can hop off of me now."

Link looked at Airlia and slid off of her back. They were standing in front of an entrance that went inside of the tree. Over the opening was a finely made blanket that was colored a pine green color.

"The girl is just in there," Airlia said. "She is asleep so please, be quiet."

Link nodded. Airlia nodded back and walked into the den with Link following her in.

The den was warm and smelt like roses. The only source of lighting came from the torches that were next to the entrance. In the back was a large nest made of brush and thorns. The nest was nicely made and kept. Next to the nest was a makeshift bed made of leaves and moss. There was someone lying in the bed. A blanket that looked identical to the one that hung over the door was over the person.

Link walked up to the person and Airlia remained at the entrance. He was on the covered girl's right side and sat on his knees. The blanket even covered the girls head. He watched as her chest rose and fall slowly and evenly.

He bit his lip and with his right hand reached up to remove the blanket. He pulled back the blanket far enough so that he could see her face. His eyes went wide as soon as his eyes lay upon the girl's face.

The girl had a beautiful face with ivory skin. Her hair was long and a rich brown color that glossed in the torch's light. On her head was a tiara.

Link's face began to feel hot as he continued to look at the girl. He wanted to reach up and touch her face, just to see how soft it was.

"Link…you okay?" Airlia whispered loud enough so Link could hear.

But Link ignored her and studied the girl's face even more. Suddenly, he realized who the girl is or might be.

"I think I might know who she is," Link muttered.

Airlia's ear perked. "Really? Who?"

"I think it's…..Princess Zelda…"


	6. Zelda

**Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana**

**Chapter Six: Zelda**

* * *

"Princess Zelda?" Airlia repeated the name. "Who is she?"

"She is part of the royal family," Link explained, not taking his eyes off the girl's face.

"So…she's like kind of "Keita-status" important?" Airlia asked, itching behind her head with one of her long white tails.

Link looked at her and smiled. "Yeah…. like that."

Airlia nodded slowly. "I see…Well, there's not much we can do for her now. We have to wait till she gets up so then Aideen could check her out. So, I guess we can leave her be."

Link stood up. "But what about when she wakes up? She'll probably be confused and maybe a little scared, since she's in a different place, you know? I mean…this isn't Hyrule anymore."

Airlia looked at him. "Good point…but who will stay?"

"I can!" Link volunteered immediately.

Airlia's eye rose as she looked at him. "Hm…alright then. I have to go on a hunting patrol right now. I'll come back and check on you later."

Link nodded at her. "Alright."

Airlia turned to the blanket covered entrance. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at Link. "By the way…don't be freaked out when Kallias gets here. This IS her den that we are using."

Link nodded. Airlia's violet stare warmed up. "Good. Have fun now," She said smoothly before walking out of the tree den, leaving Link alone with the sleeping Zelda.

He went down on his knees and looked at her. Her chest, covered by the green blanket, rose and fell in small even breaths. Her body lay still as she slumbered.

Link sighed, thinking about how peaceful she looked as she slept.

"You know…" He whispered to her. "I was suppose to come to the Castle City and give something to the royal family, behalf of my village Ordon. I was hoping to meet you, kind of." Heh, at least I met you…but not the way I would've expected."

Zelda lied still as he whispered to her. Link chuckled and looked down at her face.

_Maybe if I kiss her she'll wake up_, Link thought. Link sat still for a moment, thinking whether or not if he should.

_It wouldn't hurt to try…I'll try it!_

Link bent his head down and moved so that his head was above hers. He lowered himself slowly down, his lips directly above hers/

Then, when his lips were just about to touch Zelda's, a loud flapping noise came from outside. Link quickly sat straight up and looked at the door. His face began to feel hot with embarrassment, hoping that whoever was out there didn't see or know.

The green fabric over the entrance moved and in came a large bird creature.

She was very large in size and in great shape. She was very beautiful with a white head and a feathered body colored gold. The gold color shone brilliantly in the torch light of the den. The bird had white markings, like the other animals in Alana (With the exception of Keita), which spiraled down her back and large wings. Her talons were sharp and nicely kept.

The bird shook herself and spotted Link. Her golden-brown gaze was warm and friendly.

"Hello," she greeted, her voice calm and smooth. "Are you the one named Link?"

Link nodded slowly, completely caught off guard by the beauty and charm of the bird. "Uh…yeah! Are you Kallias?"

The bird nodded. "Yes, I am. It is nice to meet you."

Link smiled at her. "Um…same here."

Kallias chuckled quietly and hopped over to Link. When she stood right next to him, she saw the sleeping Zelda. Her eyes were filled with curiosity as she bent her head down to look at her closely.

"Who is she?" Kallias asked, looking up at Link. "Is she your wife?"

Link blushed and shook his head. "No! Airlia said she found her like this after she fought off one of those black creatures-"

"You mean rogues?" Kallias interrupted.

Link nodded. "Yeah, those. I was already here when she got here."

"I see…" Kallias sighed. "Those rogues are truly becoming more and more of a problem each day…"

"I can tell," Link muttered. "Keita told me that."

Kallias cocked her head to the side. "Weren't you the one Teranika brought here after you got attack by a rogue?"

Link nodded. "Yeah. Teranika brought me here in one piece."

Kallias sighed again. "Those rogues are going to destroy us…" Kallias muttered darkly. She shook her head and looked at Link. Her eyes cleared of their darkness and looked bright again. "Anyway, you know this girl's name?"

"Her name is Zelda. She is Princess of Hyrule."

Kallias's shot wide. "Princess!?"

Link nodded, confused by Kallias's sudden mood changes. "Yeah…"

Kallias looked at Zelda once again. She didn't respond to Link and continued to look at the girl.

"Is something wrong?" Link asked.

Kallias looked back at him and shook her head. "No…I'm fine. Just kind of shocked."

"I was too…"Link muttered.

"Here…maybe this will make her wake up faster," Kallias said before taking out one of her chest feathers with her beak.

She held it up and dropped into Link's hand. Link held up the long golden feather. It was softer than anything he had felt before and the calming scent of Kallias drifted off of it.

"This is one of my pure feathers," Kallias explained. "Aideen uses them for healing purposes and I use them to make clothing and blankets. A pure feather will speed up healing of the mind. Just place it on her forehead and she will be up sooner than you can think."

Link looked at the feather. "Thank you," He muttered, completely in a trance by the soft feather. "It is so soft…"

Kallias laughed to herself, drawing her right wing over her mouth quickly.

"You want me to get you some food or anything? Water?" Kallias asked.

Link wanted to say no, but then he thought about it. He hadn't eaten anything since he entered Alana the first time. His stomach growled as he thought about food.

"Yes please," Link said.

"Alright," Kallias said. She looked down at Zelda quickly. "Still can't believe you aren't married to her…"

Link's cheeks turned a little pink. Kallias shrugged and looked back at Link. "I'll be right back."

Kallias turned to the entrance and her wings extended out. She soared out of the den and flew into the woods.

Link looked down at Zelda and knelt down. He looked at the golden feather and then at Zelda. He placed the soft feather on Zelda's forehead. Once it touched her forehead, it let off a pale white aura. Link looked questionably at it.

"Is that supposed to happen?" He asked himself.

But it seemed the feather was beginning to work. Zelda's body began to stir a little and her eyes clenched. She let out a faint moan and her eyes slowly opened. At first they were halfway opened. But then, after her eyes got adjusted to the light, her eyes widened. She sat up and looked around the den. Her blue eyes caught Link and she looked at him.

"Hello," She said softly. "Who are you and where am I?"

"Um…I'm Link and you're in a den that's in a tree that's in a place far from Hyrule," Link said, sounding somewhat idiotic.

Zelda cocked her head to the side. "Hello Link. Are you sure about the last part?"

Link smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, I'm just as confused as you are."

Zelda chuckled a little. "You are funny. I'm Zelda."

She extended out her hand. Link took the hand, confused on whether he should kiss it or just shake it. Just to be safe, he shook it.

"Nice to meet you," Link replied.

"Are you from Hyrule?" Zelda asked.

Link nodded. "I lived in Ordon village."

"That's in southern Hyrule, correct?" Zelda asked.

Link smiled. "Yeah. I-"

"Link! Link!" A voice yelled from outside the den. "Are you alive?"

"Of course you stupid furball!" Another voice shouted. "Now shut up and go in!"

Sappho padded into the den. The tiger had a huge smile on her face. Behind her, trotted in a wolf that looked oddly like Teranika, just in the size of a puppy.

"Oh, hi Sappho," Link greeted the tigress.

"Hiya Linky!" Sappho greeted.

Link looked down at the puppy. She narrowed her red eyes at Link.

"Who's the puppy?" Link asked.

The pup growled. "It's me you idiot…"

"It's Teranika," Sappho said. "You see, when she doesn't get enough sleep or she is tired, she turns into a puppy. Ain't she just the cutest little thing? But she has a huge temper problem…"

Teranika looked at Sappho and snarled. "Just wait till I bite your ears off…"

"The animals can talk…" Zelda muttered.

Teranika and Sappho looked at Zelda and cocked their heads to the side.

"Don't tell me she is your wife or something…" Teranika growled.

"No!" Link shouted at her, picking up the pup Teranika and holding her up so she was at eye level. "Why do you guys think we are? We hardly even know each other."

Teranika narrowed her eyes. "You put me down or I'll bite your nose off…"

Sappho walked up to Zelda and sniffed her curiously. Zelda remain still, confused still about the talking beast.

"You are from Hyrule too?" Sappho asked.

Zelda nodded. "Yes. My name is Zelda."

"Greetings, I'm Sappho," Sappho said in a formal fashion. "I am the medicine shaman's apprentice. The cranky little pup is Teranika. She is the warrior who brought Link here in the first place."

Zelda stood up and walked over to Link. She bent down a little to look at Teranika. The puppy looked at her.

"I'd be careful," Link advised. "She is usually not this crabby."

"Was she this size when she rescued you?" Zelda asked Link.

"No!" Teranika answered for him. "I was so much bigger! I was even taller than him." Teranika said, nudging her head at Link.

Zelda smiled at Teranika and took her from Link's arms. She hugged the pup close to her body and began stroking her face, where her red marking were. Link watched as Teranika began to fall asleep; clearly relaxed by the attention Zelda was giving her.

Link smiled. "Well…that worked. You are good at putting asleep angry wolf puppies."

Zelda smiled at him. "I try…"

"I'd better take her back to her den," Sappho said. "Kallias would be angry is she sees a six-foot tall wolf in her den."

"Who's Kallias?" Zelda asked, setting the sleeping Teranika onto the makeshift bed of leaves and brush.

"She is the one who lives in this den," Link told her. "She went off to get something to eat and will be right back really soon."

"Yeah…" Sappho said, picking up Teranika by the scruff of her neck. Though the pup was in her mouth, she continued to talk. "But Zelda should probably come with me. Aideen probably wants to see her and make sure she's all right. Oh, Aideen is the shaman of Alana and my mentor."

Zelda nodded. "If you insist." She turned to Link and smiled at him. "It was nice meeting you. I hope we'll see each other later."

"Yeah," Link smiled back. "I'll catch you later."

"Bye Link," Zelda said. She walked up to Sappho, who was standing next to the entrance. The tigress walked out of the den and the princess followed after her.

When they were gone, Link sighed romantically. "She's pretty…"Link said idiotically. He walked over to the makeshift bed and fell onto it, dreaming of Zelda.

But then, the flapping of wings interrupted his dream. He sat up and saw Kallias soaring into the den. She had a rabbit that had been roasted in her talons and a sack of water on a rope tied around her body.

She placed the rabbit in her beak and walked up to Link. She dropped the rabbit carefully onto his stomach. It felt warm, as if it was on a fire.

"Hello," Kallias greeted. "Sorry it took me so long. I had to break up a fight between that arrogant little wolf Kael and Naal."

Link looked at her. "It's okay."

"I also got a message for you," Kallias said as she untied the rope from around her.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"Keita wants to see you again," Kallias told him. "She wants to hear what you have to say. But I told her that you can go after you eat."

"Um…thanks," Link said. Now Kallias was sounding like a mother…but it didn't matter. Kallias was nice and at least brought him something to eat.

He ate the rabbit with swift, hungry bites and rank the cool water Kallias got him. When he finished, he thanked Kallias and headed out of the den to talk to Keita.


	7. A Hero is Called Upon

**_Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana_**

**_Chapter Seven: A Hero is Called Upon_**

* * *

Link walked down the Cave of Moaning Spirits to the lair of Keita, the Place of Calming Waters. The blue crystals that were on the wall and the cool breeze that was hitting his back were leading him down the tunnel. The moaning of the cave followed him as he walked. He saw the light of Keita's cave up ahead. His steps quickened and then, he made it into the den.

The waves of the pond lapped at the rock shore quietly. The fox queen was not in here. Link walked up to the shore, remembering how Keita appeared the first time he came into the Place of Calming Waters. He closed his eyes and began to relax. He listened to the water and heard the distant call of a bird. Then, he heard the water begin to stir and the sweet scent of Keita lingered in the air around.

Link opened his eyes and found the large fox queen in front of him. He backed off a little so Keita could stand with her forelegs steadily on the rock ground. Keita looked at him and smiled.

"Greetings Link," she said warmly. "I'm sure you are doing well."

Link smiled at her. "Yes. How are you?"

Keita dipped her head. "I am fine. Thank you. Did you figure out who the girl was?"

Link nodded. "Uh-huh. She is Zelda, princess of Hyrule."

Keita looked at him and cocked her head. "Princess?" She asked calmly.

"Yes ma'am."

Keita's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "This is bad…"

Link looked at her in confusion. "Bad? Why?"

"The princess of Hyrule is gone and that is not a good thing…"

Link began to get a little nervous. Keita looked at him seriously.

"Link…I fear both of our lands are in trouble or is going to be."

Link jumped a little and looked at Keita. "Wh-why do you think that?"

"I had a vision…I looked into the reflection of the water in this cavern on the last full moon. It wasn't clear but this what I could see…A nameless, dark evil conquered the throne because the princess was gone. Then, it showed me an image of the evil standing over a burning field, clearly setting destruction to the land. I'm guessing that is what will happen to Hyrule if nothing is done."

Link trembled at Keita's description of the vision. But he didn't understand why Alana was in trouble.

"Um…what is wrong with Alana that you fear?" Link asked quietly.

Keita sighed. "My kin are disappearing left and right. The heart of the forest grows weaker and weaker with each passing day. Soon, the heart will give up, and kill the forest and all of its inhabitants. The dark creatures you fought will go to Hyrule and destroy it too."

"That's horrible," Link muttered.

"But I have an idea on how to stop this evil," Keita said, becoming a bit more optimistic.

Link looked at her. "How?"

Keita's eyes looked at him softly and her voice softened to a mere whisper. "Link…close your eyes and free your mind of any dark desire or thought you have in mind. Open your eyes then when you feel ready."

Link looked at Keita hesitantly. The fox queen had a certain look on her face, like she knew what she was doing. Link followed her instructions and closed his eyes.

But when he closed his eyes, he began to feel weird. The soft ripple of the water in the den seemed to disappear and was replaced by the sound of leaves rustling in a calm breeze. Keita's sweet scent still lingered but it was mixed with the scent of foliage and flowers.

Link's eyes shot open and he wasn't, as he thought, in the Place of Calming Waters anymore. He was in a small clearing, circled by tall oak trees. The clearing had nice, lush tall grass with white flowers that were fully bloom. The day had turned to night with a clear, star-filled sky above. A large full moon floated above the clearing, lighting everything clearly. Link looked around the clearing, looking for Keita.

"Keita?" He shouted. "Keita! Where are you?"

"Behind you…" Keita's voice said quietly behind Link.

Link jumped a little and turned around to face Keita. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by Keita's true beauty. The fox was standing on her long limbs. He never knew how tall the queen was and was shocked to see that she was a lot larger than Teranika in height. She had a nice slender body with a silver pelt that glowed in the moonlight. Link saw nine very long tails that lay on the ground behind her. Link stared awestruck at Keita as her soft green eyes looked at him.

"Link," Keita began. "This is an ancient sanctuary that only one human before this time has come to."

Link looked around. "Cool…"

"Link…are you ready for what your destiny is?" Keita asked, narrowing her green eyes at him thoughtfully.

Link looked at Keita's face and nodded. "I guess so."

Keita nodded. "Very well…" She looked up at the moon and she raised her voice. The fur on her body shone vibrantly as she looked at the moon.

"I call upon the ears and power of the warriors past and the four ancients of the elements," Keita's voice was powerful, making Link tremble a little. "Dark times are descending on both Alana and Hyrule and I call upon you to give me the power…"

Keita looked down at Link. "Link…you are the chosen hero by the three goddesses who dwell in the sacred realm."

Link's eyes widened in shock. In a bright flash around his body, Link's clothing changed from his Ordanian to a green tunic. He now had on a long green hat and white tights with brown boots that came up to his knees. There were now guards on his arms too. Link looked at his new outfit and looked back at Keita.

"Wh- I'm no hero," Link muttered to Keita.

Keita looked at him warmly. "You are mistaken…Remember back in your village? When you fought alongside Teranika to stop Pyrrhus? You have proven your courage there to fight alongside a dangerous creature and the goddesses find you, Link, capable of this task."

"That's great and all but…I don't have a sword or shield."

"No fear, young one," Keita reassured.

Two of her long white tails came up and each made a circular motion. Then, a bright flash came to both of Link's hands. He looked down at them and saw a shield on his right arm and a sword in his left hand.

The sword was finely crafted with ancient writing inscribed into the steel. The handle was made of wood and was very smooth. The shield was made of wood. On the face was an image of a crescent moon. The moon was painted silver. Around the moon were more ancient writings that Link couldn't decipher.

"These are weapons created by our fallen warriors and the four elemental ancients," Keita explained. "The ancient writing means that it will guard and guide the user through any rough journey they should go on."

Link looked up at Keita and nodded.

"Link…all of mankind depends on you. My people will help you as well if you need it. I will pray for your safe journey and hope that we, together, will put an end to whoever is harming our lands."

The fox queen walked slowly up to him and she lowered her large head down to look at him at eye level. Link looked into Keita's soft green eyes. He could see the pain that she has gone through as well as the newly rekindled hope that she found when she looked at the Ordon youth. Link reached out his hand slightly, as if he were going to reach up and pet the giant beast. He froze though, worried about the consequences he might receive if he touched a queen.

But Keita looked at him and smiled. She thrust her head gently into his hand. He smiled when his skin felt the softness of the fox's white fur. But instead of feeling the warmth that most animals had if they had a pelt of fur, he felt cold and lonely, like the look hidden in Keita's calm eyes.

"Now, we will return to the Place of Calming Waters…" Keita whispered, closing her eyes. A light surround them. The light was so bright, that the moonlit forest clearing disappeared and Link could only feel the pelt of Keita.

"Tomorrow…you will journey to Hyrule and look for clues on how to stop this dark evil," As Keita spoke, her words began to fade and so did the feeling of her fur. "Now matter what happens…If you think of the forest and of the creatures you met...you will be protected. I believe in you and hope for your safe return…Link."

After Keita's last word, Link was back in the Place of Calming Waters. But Keita was not there. He looked around the cave for the fox queen but she was not there. The only trace left of her was her sweet scent that still lingered in the air. He looked out at the blue water of the pond. He smiled a little, knowing that queen might still be in here after all.

"Don't worry Keita," Link said proudly. "I'll protect both Hyrule and Alana. You'll see, and I will make you proud!"

Link turned to the exit of the cavern and ran out.

_"Good luck, my young friend..."_ Keita's words echoed. _"May the ancients and my fallen warrior kin light the path before you…"_

_

* * *

_ The sun was beginning to sink lower and lower under the tall trees of Alana when Link came back to the gathering place. Link walked through the pathways between the den houses. He decided to go to Aideen's den, to see if Zelda was finished with the medicine spirit of Alana. As Link walked, the spirits who were still too young to become warriors were playing in the pathways. They nudged a large ball made of sticks and leaves around with their heads and feet. Link thought was kind of cute the way they played and they shared a close resemblance of a group of human child playing.

"Hey! Link!" A voice shouted.

Link turned around and saw Teranika running up to him. The wolf, who was just the size of a puppy the day before, regained her true size and looked more energized than ever. She stopped a small distance away from him and bowed her head in greeting.

"Hi Teranika," He said cheerfully, happy to meet his wolf friend that guided him to the land of Alana. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Teranika replied. "Sorry I was so cranky the other day when I was the size of a pup."

"It's no problem," Link said with a shrug. "By the way, why were you like that?"

"If I'm tired or wasted too much of my power, I change into a pup," Teranika said. She added with a small chuckle. "It's kind of a nuisance really…"

Link smiled at her. "I thought you were kind of cute when you were cranky."

Teranika narrowed her eyes and flicked her ears at him. "Um…anyway, the reason why I'm here looking for you is to show you your den. I cleaned out an old rock den near my own and thought it would be perfect for you."

Link nodded. "Thank you."

Teranika nodded at him. "Come on! Let's go see it."

Teranika turned around and started padding off in the direction she came. Link had to run to catch up with the long-limbed beast.

They went past Aideen's den. Link tried to look in the entrance but it was to dark in there for him to see anything. Link sighed in disappointment, upset about not seeing Zelda.

"Don't worry," Teranika reassured him. "You'll see her soon."

Link looked at the white wolf. "How did you know I was-"

"I'm a wolf…I can sense these things," Teranika said with her well-known smirk on her face.

Link rolled his eyes at her. "Why you always have to be like that."

Teranika shrugged and didn't answer. The wolf stopped in front of a small den made of rock. "That is where you will be staying."

"It looks alright," Link responded.

As they walked up to the den's entrance, Teranika spoke to him. "I put some blankets that Kallias made and I made a bed of moss and leaves for you. There is also a vase you use to carry water from the river and I'll show you the fresh-kill pile in a little while after you get settled in here."

"Sounds nice," Link said. "Thank you. Is there anything else?"

Teranika chuckled slyly. "You'll see…"

As he walked into the den, he definitely saw something that surprised him. It was Zelda, sitting down on the ground adjusting a lantern that was on the ground. He looked at the princess and his jaw dropped. She looked absolutely stunning in the lantern's light.

She looked up at them as they entered and smiled at them. She stood up and brushed herself off.

"Hello," she greeted politely.

Link waved at Zelda like an idiot while Teranika dipped her head in the traditional way the beast's greeted each other.

"Greetings Zelda," Teranika said. She turned her head to look at Link. A mischievous glow came to her red eyes and a playful smile was on her lips. "Link…you two will be rooming with each other."

Link looked at Teranika and narrowed his eyes at the wolf.

"I insisted that we should share a den," Zelda spoke up. "I knew they didn't have enough dens to spare so…I just asked if it was okay to share one."

_Zelda…insisted on it?_ Link thought to himself. His cheeks began to turn pink as he thought about it.

Then, he felt Teranika's tail poke his rear. The wolf looked at him and smirked a little evilly. He gave her an evil glare and then looked at Zelda, his face softening to a polite grin.

"Um…thanks," he said cheerfully.

"Now, I'll be back here in a little bit to show you the fresh-kill pile," Teranika said. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm out…especially you, Linky poo."

Teranika flicked Link over his head with her tail playfully as she acknowledged him. Link narrowed his eyes at wolf. The wolf looked at him with a playful glint in her eyes and trotted out of the den, leaving Link and Zelda alone. He watched as the wolf went away to her den.

"I like your new outfit," Zelda said quietly. Link jumped at the sound of her voice and turned to face her.

"Um…thank you," he muttered. "So…now what should we do?"

"Well, Teranika did most of the work in here and she won't be here for a while," Zelda sighed, sitting back on the ground. "I don't know what we should do now."

"Maybe we could talk?" Link asked, shrugging a little. "You know, get to know each other a little since we will be sharing this place."

Zelda looked at him. "Sure, that'll be nice."

But just as they were about to settle on the moss bedding of the den, the dragon, Morag, and the golden bird, Kallias, came up to the entrance. The bird and dragon looked in but there bodies remained outside.

"Hello," Morag and Kallias greeted warmly. Link and Zelda waved at them in greeting. Kallias spoke up, "Is everything okay in here?"

"Yes. Everything is fine," Zelda said, standing up and walking over to the golden bird. "Thank you Kallias."

"No problem," Kallias said. She looked at Morag with her kind, golden brown eyes. "Zelda, this is Morag. I'm sure you haven't met each other yet."

Zelda shook her head. "We haven't." She looked at Morag and smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Zelda."

Morag bowed his head in greeting and brought his head to Zelda's hand. "It is nice to meet you."

"Well your being a gentleman today, Morag," Kallias said jokingly. She looked over at Link and hopped over to him. "How did the meeting go with Keita?"

"It went fine, thanks," Link said with a smile to Kallias. He stood up and walked over to stand next to Zelda. Kallias hopped back over to stand next to Morag.

"Greetings Link," Morag greeted to Link. Morag's smart red eyes narrowed as he looked at Link's new outfit. His dragon lips curled back in a smile. "You look like a true hero now," Morag said warmly, like father would to his son.

"Thank you," Link said politely to the dragon. "What are you two doing here?"

"Kallias wanted to see how you two were doing in here," Morag said. He looked around the den. "It seems like you two made it to your liking."

"Yes, we did," Zelda answered. "Thank you."

"We also wanted to see if you wanted to get something to eat with us," Kallias said. Just before they could say that Teranika was going to bring them, Kallias interrupted. "Don't worry, Teranika said that we could. She'll just meet us there."

"Hey guys!" A young female voice yelled. "Are we going or not?"

Bounding up the path to the den was Sappho, the medicine spirit's apprentice. She stopped behind Kallias and shook herself.

"Ugh...What's taking you guys so long?" Sappho asked Kallias. "I'm hungry!"

Morag looked at the hyperactive tigress. "Patience Sappho...Link and Zelda are coming with us."

Sappho rolled her eyes and lashed her tail impatiently. "Well they better hurry! Where's Teranika? She better get her white wolf butt out here or I'll claw her good."

Link and Zelda chuckled under their breaths at Sappho's comment. The tigress looked at them and narrowed her eyes.

"What?! I will," Sappho growled.

"Oh, Sappho…keep your damn fur on," Teranika grumbled as she walked over to the group. "I'm right here now."

Sappho turned to face the wolf and her neck fur began to bristle. "It's about time! You know how freaking hungry I am?"

Teranika smirked at Sappho. "You know how much I want you to shut up right now?"

Sappho and Teranika continued their argument while the other four watched. Zelda asked,"Do they always fight like this?"

Morag nodded."Yeah. Don't know why, they just always seem to get at each others throats."

Kallias hopped over to stand in between them and she raised her large golden wings.

"Enough you to," Kallias said calmly. "If you guys won't quit arguing and you don't apologize, I'll cast a spell on you that'll make you both be silent till I feel like you learned a lesson. You got that?"

Sappho and Teranika looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "We're sorry," they said in unison.

Kallias giggled. "Thank you."

"Well, let's quit wasting time!" Sappho said loudly. "Let's get going before all the good stuff is gone. Kael and his group of jerks will probably get all the good stuff if we don't hurry."

"Alright…we're going." Morag grumbled. He looked at Zelda and Link. "Are you two ready?"

Both Zelda and Link nodded. "Alright…let's go," Morag muttered.

The group walked away from the den, with Sappho and Teranika in the lead, Kallias and Morag in the middle and Zelda and Link in the back.

"This is experience is pretty interesting so far, don't you think?" Zelda asked in a whisper.

Link looked at her and nodded. "It's definitely something most people experience."

"And I'm sure it'll get even more weird," Zelda added with a smile on her face.

Link looked at her smiled. Then he looked away from her and looked at the ground.

_"Dark times are descending on both Alana and Hyrule… you are the chosen hero by the three goddesses who dwell in the sacred realm …all of mankind depends on you."_

Remembering Keita's words made him shiver. Tomorrow, he will begin his journey to save both his homeland and Alana. He just hoped that Keita was right for picking him to do this perilous journey that could possibly destroy them all.

* * *

The forest was now covered by the night with a waning moon in the sky. The forest floor was covered by the shadows casted by the trees. Walking through the trees, a small white fox with pink markings on her face and back walked over to the river's edge. She looked over the edge at the dark water to look at her reflection. Her green eyes looked at the reflection for a long time, like it was a picture or something.

Then, a soft breeze blew, rustling the fur of the fox. A smile curled on her lips. It looked like an evil snarl. She closed her eyes and looked at the moon, letting out an evil laugh.

"This is perfect!" The fox laughed. "Soon, my power will reach to its full capacity. But first…I need a perfect little pawn."

She stood still and thought about it for a second. "Maybe that human boy can help me. Before he sets out, I'll go to him and ask him to do a little favor for me."

She opened her eyes. The green color changed to an evil glowing red color. "Then…I can kill the heart of the forest and easily conquer that wretched human world. This game will be far too easy…"

The white fox looked up at the moon. "I hope you're ready sister…because your beloved home will fall along with the human world and a new era will be brought…an era of chaos and madness!"

She then let out a vicious howl at the moon, which then got covered by the clouds that were surrounding it.


	8. Hana's Dilemma

**_Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana_**

**_Chapter Eight: Hana's Dilemma_**

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise the next morning when Link woke up. The scent of dew on grass and smoldering fires from the night before were in the air, along with the sweet scent of flowers. Link opened his eyes half way to get adjusted to the little light that was out. Then, he sat up. The warm green blanket that Kallias made fell off his upper body and the cold morning hit him. He placed his arms around his body and shivered.

"Geez…I'm not even in Hyrule and it still feels like it in the morning," Link said to himself.

He yawned and stretched his arms, then looked down at Zelda. The princess was curled up in her green blanket, sleeping peacefully. Link smiled at her, happy that so far he didn't wake her up. He yawned again and stood up, feeling even colder. He shivered and looked around the den for the sword and shield Queen Keita gave him the day before. He found them lying against the rock wall near the entrance of the den. He walked over to the wall and picked them up. He placed the sheathed sword on his back and placed the shield over the sheath.

Link sighed and looked back at Zelda. She was still sleeping. He smiled and at her and exited the den.

Outside of the den, he could see the sun rising a little, but it still wasn't over the tall trees of the forest. It was just as cold out there as it was inside the den.

Link looked up at the dawning sky and then around at the other dens nearby. Hopefully, the evil that Keita spoke of still hasn't hit Hyrule and everything is peaceful.

Link walked away from his den and went down the path the led him to the entrance of the gathering place. Then, he heard something scraping at some dirt. He turned in the direction of the scarping.

"Ah man…where in the ancients' name is it?" A young female voice asked.

Link lifted an eyebrow, curious about what this young girl was looking for. He walked around a brush den and saw a white fox. She was sniffing at a pile of dirt, as is she was looking for something. She was smaller than most of the other beasts Link met and probably came up to about his knee. But like most of the spirits she had pink markings that made the shape of a flower on her shoulders and back. Around her neck was a red beaded necklace. A lovely pink flower was an accessory that was stuck behind her left ear.

The little fox dug at the dirt hill a little. Link looked at her in question.

"Um…what are you doing?" Link asked the fox.

She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to look at him. Her fur fluffed up as she looked at him with wide green eyes.

"You don't have to be afraid," He reassured the fox girl. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The fox released a little bit of her tension but she looked at Link with wide, terrified eyes.

"A-are you the human boy? Or monster?" She asked terrifyingly.

Link smiled at her softly. "Yeah, I'm the human guy."

"A-and you aren't going to hurt me?" She asked again, with some shakiness still in her voice.

"Yeah," Link said, walking up to her. "I'm Link. Who are you?"

"I…I am Hana," She said. Finally, her fur flattened so she didn't look so fluffy.

"What are you doing?" Link asked again.

"I'm looking for something," Hana replied.

"Looking for what?" Link asked with a brow raised.

"Something for Queen Keita," Hana replied. "I just had part of it but then…I dropped it into this dirt pile."

"Maybe I can help you," Link said with a smile on his face.

Hana looked at him, her green eyes sparkling. "Really? That would be so great! But aren't in-"

Link shrugged and smiled. "No. I can help you real quick. You said it's in this dirt pile, right?"

"Uh-huh," Hana said, nodding her head. "It should be in there unless one of those pesky children took it."

Link chuckled softly at Hana's comment. "But you look like you're still a child yourself."

Hana looked at him in a funny way. "I'll have you know that I'm a warrior! I'm just…small for my height."

Link placed a hand on her small white head and smiled at her. "Oh, keep your fur on. I was only joking."

Hana hesitated and looked up at him with admiration. "Um…thanks. Well, we better get to looking for that thing."

Link nodded and followed the small fox to the dirt pile. Hana immediately began digging at the mound of dirt. Link walked over to the other side and began digging with his hands. But as he dug, he couldn't find anything. He looked at Hana and frowned.

"I don't see anything…" He said to the fox.

Hana shook herself. "Just keep looking. This thing is very important to me and to Alana."

"What will it do for Alana?" Link asked.

"Look…I'll tell you after we find it," Hana said, beginning to sound a little impatient.

Link nodded. "Alright, alright…geez."

Link continued to dig some more. But after a few moments of digging, he felt something hard on his hand. He looked down and pulled out a hard object that seemed to be part of a mask.

He brushed off the dirt and looked at the details of the mask. It was an off-white color. There was an eyehole, for the left eye it seemed. Over the eye was a red that went on the eye. It looked like make-up on a woman's face. A tall pointed ear was at the top. But that was all that's left of the mask.

"Um…Is this it?" Link asked as he looked at the mask.

Hana looked up and let out a squeal of excitement. Her fluffy white tail wagged from side to side.

"Yes! That's it!" Hana said cheerfully. She trotted up to him and looked up at the mask. "Give it to me, please."

"Hold on," Link said, raising a hand to stop the fox. "You were going to tell me what it's for."

Hana rolled her eyes at him. "Fine…a promise is a promise."

Suddenly, the portion of the mask slipped from Link's hands and began floating in the air, as if something invisible was holding it.

"A long time ago, when I was just a puppy, my mother told me a story of a powerful mask that could help banish evil. But the four ancients said that if it fell into the hands tainted by evil, the entire world could be destroyed. So, Keita decided to break up the mask into four pieces. She sent the pieces to different places; three of which lie in the land of Hyrule and left one to stay in Alana. My mother protected this piece but when she pasted away, I got it."

"Ah…I see," Link said, scratching his chin a little. "So if you get the pieces of the mask, Keita could find out what's happening to the other beasts here?"

Hana smiled and nodded. "Yes. Keita, with the power of the mask, would be able to clear away the malice that has plagued this world and could save us all. But…the problem is, I still need the rest of the mask pieces. Just this single piece, alone, can't protect anything."

Hana sighed and looked at her paws. "But, I'm not allowed to leave the forest. Only the ones that Keita has chosen to fight the black monsters has the ability to leave. So…I can't look for the rest of the mask pieces."

"Oh, now that's a problem…" Link muttered. The two sat in silence for a few moments. Then, Link thought of an idea for the troubled young fox. "Maybe I can go to the places and look for the rest of the mask pieces."

Hana's head shot up and she looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"

Link smiled at her. "Uh-huh. I was just going to Hyrule on a little mission for Keita. I'm sure I can probably find the pieces of the mask when I'm out there."

"A-are you sure?" Hana asked, her voice starting to shake again. "That would be so very kind of you."

"Sure, no problem," Link said. "But…do have any idea where they might be?"

"I think so," Hana said, shuffling her paws again. "Well, my mother told me the places where Keita sent the pieces. She told me that one is in the forest temple in some woods guarded by a powerful spirit that lies in Hyrule. One is in a mountain temple; and the last one is located in some mines that are filled with lava."

"Wow…at least I know I'll be getting a workout…" Link muttered.

Hana looked at him and walked up to him. She rubbed her head under his hand.

"Don't worry," Hana reassured him. "I have faith in you and once you bring them back, all of Alana will be thanking you."

Link felt a little better by Hana's kind words. "Um…thanks."

"No problem," Hana said softly. A breeze blew and Hana looked around. "I got to go now. I'll give you the mask piece so you can keep an eye on it. When you find all of them, come see me."

The piece of mask, which was still floating in the air, floated towards Link and landed in his hands. Hana began trotting away to the dens. Link raised his hand to say something to the fox, but she lifted her tail to silence him. She stopped and turned her head to look at him.

"You'll do fine, I know you will," Hana said before disappearing into the rows of brush dens.

Link sighed and looked at the mask piece. He examined it closely, looking at the details of the mask. Then, he looked up at the sky. The sun had rose a little higher than when he first came out of his den.

"Man! I need to get going!" He realized. Link put the mask piece away in his tunic. He ran away from the dirt pile and began heading back towards the entrance of the gathering place.

He stopped at the entrance to catch his breath. He looked out at the forest. The sound of the river was loud this morning.

"You didn't expect to leave without saying good-bye…did you?" The smooth voice asked behind.

Link turned around to see the wolf, Teranika. Standing next to her was Delano, Sappho, Epona and Zelda. Link was shocked to see most of the faces he already met when he first came to this mysterious land.

"What…why are you guys here?" Link asked.

"Wishing you a safe journey…duh," Sappho muttered.

"We came to bring you some stuff to wish you well on this journey," Delano said, rolling his eyes at Sappho.

"You guys didn't have to do that," Link muttered, a little embarrassed by the attention he didn't really want. He looked at Zelda. "H-how did you find out about me leaving?"

"I saw you get up and leave so I went to ask Teranika what you were doing," Zelda told him.

"Oh…I see," Link muttered. "But you didn't have to come and see me-"

Zelda smiled at him. "I didn't just want you to leave without saying good-bye to you."

"Y-you did?" Link stuttered.

"Yes," Zelda said, nodding her head.

"Well…before you two start having some romance junk before you leave, let's get this over with first," Sappho grumbled like an angry old woman.

Teranika glared at the tigress and flicked her tail over Sappho's ear.

"Fine…you go first then," Teranika sneered.

Sappho rolled her eyes and walked up to Link. She pulled off of her back a little brown bag that was tied at the top by a green ribbon.

"I put some herbs in here for you," Sappho said with the bag in her mouth. "Some of them will come in handy for you on your journey." She dropped the bag into Link's hands. She smiled at him, not looking very cranky anymore. "I'm counting on you, Linky Poo."

She winked at him with her right eye, making Link chuckle a little by Sappho's action. The tigress snorted at him and walked away, back to the rest of the group. Delano walked up to him, with Epona following behind him. Link smiled at Epona and ran up to her. Epona immediately nudged her head into her master's chest and she nickered softly at him. Link ran a hand through her soft forelock.

"I knew that you would have to cover a lot of ground so a brought you your horse," Delano explained. "From what I here, Hyrule is not very small."

"Thank you," Link politely thanked Delano. Link was happy to see Epona because he hasn't seen her since he got to Alana.

"Don't mention it," Delano said, bowing his head courteously. "And do not worry, she was a good horse and all the others seemed to like her too."

"That's good to hear," Link said to the dark horse. "Thanks again for keeping an eye on her."

"It was no problem, my friend," Delano replied. "She is a sister to the horse tribe, even though she was born in a different part."

Link smiled as Delano backed away to Sappho. Teranika walked up with Zelda at her side.

"I'll give you what I want to give after I show you to the place where we first entered Alana," Teranika said.

"Why there?" Link asked.

Teranika smirked at him. "You'll just see when we get there."

Link rolled his eyes at the wolf. Then, he looked at Delano and Sappho. "Um…thanks, both of you."

"It's no problem," Sappho shrugged. "Just don't get yourself killed, Linky Poo."

Delano swatted Sappho over her hide with his tail. "Good luck, Link. May the ancestors and ancients light your path."

Link smiled and waved good-bye to the two. Then, Teranika began walking forward. Link followed her, with Epona on his right and Zelda at his left side. As they walked through the still darkened forest, the group was silent. The only sounds heard were the sounds of footsteps, the river and the occasional call of a bird.

Teranika looked around and stopped, causing the others to stop too.

"This is the place," She muttered.

The group was standing in a circle of mighty trees. There was a hole at the top, where the sun could shine down in the middle. In the middle, was a large pile of leaves that seemed to be covering something.

Teranika turned to face Link and Zelda. "Right now, I will give you my gift."

Teranika lifted her head up to the sky and let out a quiet, yet enchanting, howl. As she howled, a wind came and rustled the trees. The leaves in the middle of the circle blew away, revealing something. The ground was hard and brown, not covered by the grass of the forest. On that ground was a white circle, with ancient inscriptions that were also white inside of it. In the middle of the white circle was an image of the triforce. Link and Zelda looked in awe at the clearly magical circle.

Teranika stopped howling and looked at the two. "That circle is used transport people to the Moonstone, or the portal used to go to Hyrule."

"How can I use it?" Link asked.

Teranika raised her tail to silence him. "I will tell you in a little bit. I have yet to give you what I wanted to give you."

The wolf's tail created a circle in the air. Then, in a bright blue light, an object floated in the air. Link squinted his eyes to look at the object that materialized before him. It was a large bell that was made of blue crystal, kind of like the crystals that were in Keita' cave. The bell was on thick white ribbon. The surface of the beautiful bell was smooth and shiny, like it was clearly important. Link, and Zelda too, looked at the beauty of the bell.

"This is a crystal bell I made when I first became a warrior," Teranika said as she looked at her creation. "But even though I made it, I'm not sure what actually does. But…I can tell you this. One day, something powerful breathed onto the bell and seemed to give it life. Now, a protective spirit or something made its home in the bell. I want to give you this, Link."

The crystal bell floated down and landed gently in Link's hands. It stopped its glowing but it still looked very stunning.

"Who knows…maybe you'll find out what it does on your journey," Teranika shrugged.

Link stood in silence for a second, and then he looked up at Teranika. "I don't know what to say…"

"Just a thank you is good enough," Teranika said kindly. "But, you're welcome. Just promise me that you'll take good care of it."

"Of course I will," Link said as he put the crystal bell away. "Thanks Teranika."

"Well…I think it should be time that you get going," Teranika said thoughtfully. "If you stayed here any longer I don't know what'll happen."

Link nodded and then he looked at Zelda. She seemed to have a troubled look on her face.

"Link…" Zelda muttered. "I-"

"Don't worry," Link reassured her with a smile. "I'll be back. I promise."

"But, I wanted to…ah, whatever," Zelda walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. Link blushed as soon as Zelda's soft, warm lips touched his face. She backed away from him a moment later and seemed to have the same expression on her face.

"Just…come back safely," Zelda muttered, looking at the ground.

"Uh…I will," Link muttered; still completely in shock by Zelda's sudden kiss.

Teranika couldn't help but chuckle at Link a little by his reaction. This made Link turn around and glare at the wolf.

"Anyway…go to the circle and stand there with Epona," Teranika explained.

Link smiled at Zelda and walked to the circle with Epona's reins in hand. He stood in the circle with Epona, just as Teranika said.

"Now…release tension and think of nothing that could trouble the mind," Teranika said, walking over to stand next to Zelda.

Link did as Teranika said and began to relax. Suddenly, the circle began to glow from under him and he began floating upward with Epona. He looked at Teranika in shock as he ascended. Epona was struggling a little as she was lifting. Zelda looked at Link, she had a soft smile on her face. That made Link smile as well. He waved at her in farewell.

"Good-bye Zelda," He called to her. "I promise! I'll be back in one piece!"

"I know you will!" Zelda called back to him.

"Good-bye Link!" Teranika called as well. "May the ancestors and ancients light your path!"

And then, Link and Epona disappeared from the land of beasts in a burst of light. Zelda looked at the place where they disappeared, feeling a little sad as she saw Link vanish.

"Teranika…do you think he'll be okay?" Zelda asked quietly.

"Of course he will," Teranika reassured her. "If anyone will be okay, it'll be my boy Link."

"Yeah…I'm sure he'll be okay," Zelda said with a smile. Under her breath, she let out a silent prayer.

_Please, goddesses…protect him and guide him on this journey._


	9. Faron Forest Temple

**_Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana_**

**_Chapter Nine: The Faron Forest Temple_**

* * *

Epona trotted at a brisk pace as she entered a heavily forested area. Link was sitting on her back, looking around at the new surroundings as they entered the woods. It had been about threes days since he left the forest of Alana, a place of great beasts and spirits. Link was happy to at least be back in Hyrule, but he knew that this happiness wouldn't last very long.

_"Dark times are falling both on Hyrule and Alana…"_ Keita's ominous words continued to echo in his head. _"You are the one who will save us all…"_

Link sighed and looked down at Epona.

"I still don't fully understand why Keita choose me," Link muttered to Epona. "I mean, she said that the goddesses who govern the land have chosen me…but, I don't think I'm right to have this job."

Epona snorted and shook her head. Link smiled at her and patted her neck. "Yeah…I guess you're right. I really shouldn't be freaking out so much."

He looked up at the sky. The sun was in the middle of the clear blue sky. He had been up since sunrise. Epona was sure to be exhausted. Link tightened his grasp on the reins and pulled back a little, making Epona halt.

"Let's take a break," Link said as he jumped off of her back. He took the reins over her head and walked over to a stump that was under the sun.

Link sat down on the stump and let go of Epona's reins. The horse dipped her head to the ground and began eating at some grass. Link watched Epona graze for a moment, and then began digging into his saddlebags that were on his belt. He pulled out a brilliant blue crystal bell; the gift Teranika gave him a few days ago.

He let his fingers touch the smooth exterior of the crystal bell. Link even lifted it up so that the sun's rays could hit the glossy surface of the bell. The sun's rays made the bell twinkle like a fabulous jewel that shone in even the darkest cave or room. A blue reflection was cast upon the ground, turning the green grass a blue color.

Link leaned back at little and continued to look at the bell. "Who knew Teranika could make something so…perfect," Link mumbled to the bell. "It's too bad that she has no idea what it does."

The bell's blue crystal shined even more brightly, it seemed, as he spoke to it. Link smiled at it. "Ah…I'll figure out what you do eventually. I mean, how hard could that-"

"Ahhh!!!" A scream pierced through the air, before Link could finish what he was saying. "Help! Monster!"

Link immediately stood up and looked around. He put the bell back into his saddlebag and he ran up to Epona. She stood still, ears perked alertly. Link looked at Epona and took her reins. One hand was on the hilt of his sword, ready to be pulled out if needed.

The forest was quiet now, and the man was not screaming anymore. Link's eyes narrowed and got ready, just in case this monster would jump out at him.

Then, a man came running into the clearing. An ugly goblin thing was following him. The goblin had a wooden club in his large hand and Link could smell it from where he was standing. Epona reared up and shook her head in fear. Link pulled his sword and charged at the goblin. The goblin looked at its new threat and charged at Link with its club high in the air.

When close enough in range, Link slashed at the goblin's torso with the sword. It hit, but it didn't seem to affect the goblin. The goblin was thrown back a little but he got back up and charged back at Link. Link gritted his teeth and looked at the goblin.

"Damn…" He muttered under his breath. "Maybe this'll work."

The goblin was running back to Link with his club ready to strike. Link stood still and focused on the goblin with sword in hand. When the goblin was close enough, Link made his move. His sword extended outward and he spun around on his left foot. The goblin squealed as his throat was cut and was thrown back. He twitched on the ground for a few moments, and then lied motionlessly on the forest ground.

Link took a deep breath and placed his sword back in his sheath. He turned around and looked at Epona.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he walked up to her.

Epona responded by snorting and shaking her head. Link smiled and patted her on the head. Link looked behind Epona and saw the man that was being chased by the goblin. His eyes were shining with excitement and a huge grin was on his face.

"That…was…awesome!" The man shouted with enthusiasm. "You are a good swordsman. If it wasn't for you, I would've been nothing but a paste."

"Um…don't mention it," Link replied, a little embarrassed by the man's praise. "It was nothing really."

"'Nothing really'?" The man said raising a brow. "Are you nuts? You just saved my life from that monster. I tell you what…I'll give you a reward for saving me. Let's see…"

Link raised his hand. "I know what you can do. You can-"

"Aha!" The man interrupted. "I can give you a lantern. I'm a lantern maker, you see. They'll come in handy if you're traveling through the forest."

"Um…thanks but-"

"Don't thank me yet!" The man interrupted again and began digging around in the large bag he had on his shoulder. "I have one right…here it is!"

The man pulled out an oil lantern that had a handle on the top. It was a very dark gray color, almost black. Link looked at the lantern. It did look very nice and sturdy; maybe it could help him in the forest.

The man handed Link the lamp and smiled. "Ain't it nice? It runs on oil some if it ever goes out, then you need more oil. Got that?"

"Um…yeah," Link muttered. "Thanks. But I have a question. Where is the temple in the forest?"

"What?" The man asked in a confused manner. "You mean the temple deep in Faron?"

Link nodded. "Yeah. I'm looking for something for one of my friends and it's in there. Do you know where it is located?"

The man nodded slowly, with the confused expression still written on his face. "Yeah…just follow that path and it'll lead you further into the woods."

"Alright, thanks," Link said kindly to the man.

"But you're nuts if you do," The man continued. "There is nothing but goblins and monsters out there. Come to think of it…there have been a lot more roaming around. Heck, they even scared most of the birds and other animals away! So I'd keep your eyes peeled for them spooks."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Link said as he began to walk away from the man with Epona.

"You're still crazy though!" the man shouted as they disappeared down the path. "But good luck to ya anyway!"

Link rolled his eyes as he walked down the path away from the clearing. He looked at Epona and muttered something to her. "Geez…he was weird."

Epona agreed, or seemed like it, by nodding her head and snorting a little.

As the two walked down the path, the trees became denser and the light of the sun was beginning to be blocked out by the thickening forest. Link looked up the sky that was almost completely covered by the large branches covered with leaves.

"Man, the guy could've warned me about that…" Link muttered. He looked around the area. "At least no more monsters have attacked me yet. But I don't like how quiet this forest is."

The man was right. No birds or any animal for that matter didn't seem to stir. The only thing that would make a noise was the steps on the path that Link and Epona took and the leaves blowing in the wind. The wind was hitting at his chest and get stronger as he walked deeper into the growing darkness of the forest. The wind was cold and felt harsh.

_"Go…back…"_ A deep voice moaned in the wind. _"Filth like you…don't belong…."_

Link narrowed his eyes and looked around.

"Who is that?" Link asked aloud.

_"This is…my forest now…"_ The voice moaned again. _"Master…promised it…."_

"Look…I don't know where or who you are, but I'll find what I'm looking for," Link shouted to the sky.

_"Then…you will feel my wrath…If you make it to my temple….I…will…destroy…you..."_

Now Link was angry. "If you're so powerful, than why don't you hit me right now?"

But this time, the voice didn't reply. The wind was still present though as it beat against his chest. Link rolled his eyes and looked at Epona.

"That was weird," Link muttered to her. "Well…looks like we'll have to take care of something before we get that thing for Hana."

Link turned his head from Epona and up ahead down the path, was a very large tree that seemed to have a large hole at its base. Two torches were lit right before the entrance.

Link grinned. "There it is!"

He began running down the path with Epona trotting his side to keep up with him. The two ran onto the steps that led up to the mighty tree that had the two torches in front of the large entrance. When they got to the entrance, Link slid to a stop. Epona stopped as well and stood by his side. In front of the entrance was a rock that was carved to look like a warrior with a sword and shield. Around its neck was a sign that said: **DO NOT ENTER. TEMPLE INVADED BY MONSTERS.**

Link looked at the sign and rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it's not all that bad." He looked into the entrance. It was dark and the darkness seemed endless. A breeze blew and a moan echoed out from inside the entrance of the great tree. Now, Link was thankful that the guy gave him the lantern.

Link took out the lantern. He took a step into the entrance. Epona tensed up and wouldn't walk in. Link looked at her and tugged at her reins, trying to urge the mare to go forward but she wouldn't move. Epona dug her hooves into the ground and wouldn't move one step forward.

Link sighed and walked up to her. He patted Epona on the neck and smiled at her.

"If you don't want to go in, I'm fine with that," Link said calmly to her. "You can wait out here if you want."

Epona shook her head and pawed at the ground.

"It's alright girl," Link said. He turned his head to look down the dark entrance. "It does look kind of dark and scary. I bet it would be a lot safer for you out here then in the cave."

Epona nickered softly at Link. Link smiled at her. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. Just don't get into any trouble out here. If something happens to you, kick the guy trying to hurt you. If that doesn't work, neigh out and I'll get here as quick as I can."

Link patted her one last time, turned and ran down the dark entrance of the tree. Link stopped and looked around, even though he could not see anything. Link sighed, and then an idea hit him. He went into his saddlebag and got out the lantern the man gave not long ago.

Link smiled at the lantern. "Hm…Maybe I will be able to use you after all," He said to the lamp.

He turned on the lantern and almost immediately, it turned on and lit up the dark region of the entrance. Link looked at the wall of the entrance. It was the wood from inside the tree. Ivy and other weeds grew on the wood and the ground was hard from the rock. Link looked up and noticed some bats that were hanging upside down on the wall. The bats responded to the light and opened their wings. They opened their mouths, revealing a row of dirty, yellow fangs. The bats eyes were glowing red, like they were evil or something. The bats let go of the ceiling and flew towards Link.

Link placed the lantern on his belt and pulled out his sword, ready to attack if a bat would bite him. The bats flew closer, screeching their loud squeaks. Most of them flew past Link, afraid of the light and out into the forest were it would be darker. But several bats seemed angry at the light and flew towards Link, ready to bite him. When that happened, Link used his sword and swung at the bats that were about to hurt him. With just one swing of his sword, all the bats remained fell to the ground and lied motionless.

Then, in the air of the tree temple, a large screech was heard.

_"Mortal filth…"_ The same voice moaned in an angry tone. _"You kill my children….for that…I kill you…"_

Link gritted his teeth and began running down the rest of entrance. At the end, there was a light that led out of the darkness of the tree temple's entrance. Link began running; excited to actually see some light for once since he entered the forest.

When he ran into the room, he didn't find any sunlight. It was a large room with a platform in the middle of it with stairs that led to the surface of it. An entrance with a rock in front of it was right across on the other side of the room from Link. There was also another entrance on the right side of the room, but this one had no rock in front of it. Link walked out cautiously to the middle platform, with his sword still in hand. He looked around as he walked. The stench of evil and the breathing of an enemy was in the air.

Then, Link felt something wet touch his head. His fingers instantly went to the spot and he touched it. It was warm. He brought his hand to the front of his face and looked at his hand. The water was sticky and a little foamy, like it was drool. Link's brows rose in shock and he looked up. A giant spider was clinging to the had the image of a white skull on the large black bulge. It's fangs were sharp and red, dripping with blood and foamy drool.

"Oh great…" Link muttered darkly as he readied himself to attack.

The spider, using its fine silk web string, descended down onto the ground. When all eight of its long, delicate legs touched the ground, the spider went towards Link. The spider walked quickly down the steps of the middle platform and stood in front of Link. It's many, dark beady eyes seemed to glare evilly at Link. The foam in its mouth increased.

Then, the spider charged forward. Link was prepared and swung at the spider monster when it got close, but the attack didn't seem to affect the giant spider. The spider shook it off and tried biting at Link's arm. Link deflected the attack with his shield and backed off. But the spider followed his movement and got closer to Link. It snapped at Link with its fangs and tried to stab him with its thin, strong front legs. One of the quick legs struck Link's leg, creating a fine red line that stung painfully.

Link jumped back and tried to cover the small wound. But the spider was not satisfied with a small nick. It wanted to see Link dead. The spider quickly charged towards Link, about ready to release another barrage of attacks. But Link was ready. When the spider came near, Link quickly rolled to the side and jumped over so he was behind the spider. Before the spider could turn around to attack him, Link swiped at the large bulge on the spider. Blood squirted when sword met the spider's hard skin. The spider squealed in pain and tried to back away but Link continued to attack the spider. After many slashes and stabs, the spider fell to the ground. The legs twitched and jerked around lightly, then stopped for good.

Link took in a few deep breaths before placing his sword back into its sheath. He wiped the spider's blood off of his face onto his sleeve.

"That was a close one…" Link said quietly. "I need to stay alert in this place."

Link walked up the steps of the platform. There, we saw mangled and bloodied body of a small monkey. Monkeys were a common species in Faron and often wandered to Ordon, which was near by. This monkey seemed to be a young one, maybe only a year old. It had bite marks from what seemed to be from the fangs of the spider Link just defeated.

"Poor little guy…" Link said as he looked at the corpse. "May it find peace in another world."

Then, a breeze blew. Along with the breeze, came a faint voice of a woman.

_"Please…help me…"_ She said hoarsely in the wind. _"I'm…trapped…"_

Link looked around. "Who are you?"

_"I…am a…fairy,"_ the voice said. Whosever voice this was sounded very weak and began to get quieter each time she spoke. _"Please…save me…Follow…the bridge…There…in a room…you must save…me…"_

Breeze stopped and the fairy's voice disappeared along with it. Link looked around and there was no bridge to anywhere. Suddenly, he felt something tingle in his saddlebags and he heard a jingling sound. He opened the bag and the blue crystal bell floated out of it. The bell was glowing and making the jingling noise. The bell began floating quickly away from him.

"Hey get back here!" Link shouted at the bell.

But the bell wouldn't obey and floated off the platform. It hovered above ground. The light of the bell revealed a bridge, which was invisible just until now. Without even thinking, Link chased after the bell by running on the bridge. The bell floated to the other side, where a door was located. There was no covering on the door so the bell floated in.

Link rolled his eyes as he ran after the bell and went into the new room. "If Teranika possessed you, I'm breaking you and I'm making myself a nice coat with her pelt!" Link shouted.

But when he entered the new room, he froze. The new room had a large whole in the ceiling, letting in the light of the sun. He was standing on an overlook that overlooked a large area below. The ground was covered with tall, green grass and the middle was flat rock. Around the middle where no grass covered were six large stone pillars that were covered with moss and ivy.

The crystal bell floated over to Link and landed in his hands. He glared at the bell.

"Now you come back?" He said to the bell. "You are going to cause me a lot of trouble. You know that?"

Suddenly, Link heard a "swooshing" noise. He looked around and pulled his sword out, in case he would be attacked.

_"Boy…watch out!"_ The hoarse fairy voice cried out.


	10. The Boomerang of Gales

**_Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana_**

**_Chapter Ten: The Boomerang of Gales_**

* * *

_"Watch out…Boy!"_ The fairy's hoarse voice cried out. _"Behind…you."_

But before Link could turn around to see what's wrong, a dark shadow came over him. Suddenly, something kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying off of the balcony he was on. He landed on the ground in the middle of the moss-and-vine covered pillars. Link tried to get up but was pushed hard onto the ground by the dark shadow that sent him through the air. He looked up at the creature and his eyes went wide.

The shadow turned out to be a large black bat that was about the size of Link himself. He had huge ear and glowing red eyes. The monstrous bat was snarling at Link, showing its sharp yellow teeth. Drool and foam dripped from the bat's mouth and landed on Link's neck and torso. The bat tried snapping at Link but Link kept him back from biting him by keeping his arms out. When the Link got the chance, Link kicked at the bat. The bat went into the air and recovered in mid-air by flapping its wings.

The bat flied back towards Link, but Link was prepared this time. He pulled out his sword and got his shield ready on his right arm. The bat shrieked and flew towards Link at a quick speed. Link slashed at the bat, but he missed. But as the bat flew past him, he noticed something sticking out of his back. A pointy thing was poking of the bat's back. Link thought about it. Maybe the thing there made the bat sensitive? It was good to try it at least.

The bat hovered in air for a moment. Link smirked at the bat and shouted "Come on, ugly. You want to fight then bring it."

The bat narrowed his evil-looking eyes and flew towards Link once again. Link got ready to strike at the bat's back. When the bat came close enough, Link went to the side and slashed at the pointy thing. It did just as Link thought it would do. The bat shrieked in pain and skidded down onto the ground. Now was the perfect time to strike.

Link ran up to the fallen bat, sat on its back and began slashing away at the point. Blood squirted from the bats back as Link attacked. The bat struggled and tossed as Link attacked him. The bat screamed in pain.

_"Father!!!"_ The bat screamed, or that's what Link thought it said.

Then, with one strong slash, the pointy object flew out of the bat's back and landed a ways away from Link into the grassy area. Link then used his sword and stabbed the bat's back and dealt the deadly blow. The bat screamed and squirmed for a few moments. Then began to twitch violently and then stopped moving completely. Link took in a few deep breaths and then pulled the sword out of the back.

Link placed his weapon and shield away and then walked over to the object the came out of the bat's back. He looked down at it and was amazed at what he found. It was a boomerang that had a small green gem in the middle of it. The ends of it seemed to be shaped like wings. It reminded him of Kallias' beautiful golden wings.

He bent down and picked up the boomerang. He examined it closely. Suddenly, a breeze blew into the room and the boomerang began to glow a light green color. The boomerang then moved out of Link's hands and began floating in midair in front of him.

"_Thank you so much for saving me from that nasty bat,"_ the fairy's voice said to Link. Her voice sounded more perky and healthy. _"The bat you just killed captured me and stabbed me into his back, thinking that I could make him more powerful. But, instead, I made him more sensitive on his back."_

"Are you inside the boomerang?" Link asked.

"_Yes,"_ the fairy's voice answered. _"I am a wind fairy. I fused my power to this boomerang long ago and have become apart of it. Now, explorers and treasure hunters who enter this temple just simply call me the Boomerang of Gales."_

"That sounds interesting," Link said with a smile. He looked over at the body of the dead bat.

_"That's one of those wretched bats that inhabited the temple and decided to call it there home. Those things are evil beings um….what is your name?"_

"I am Link."

_"Link…that is a lovely name. Anyway, those bats are evil. The bat that you just fought, that is the head bat's favorite son."_

Suddenly, a deafening screech rang out in the air, making the ground tremble. Link covered his ears until the roar stopped.

"Wh-what was that?" Link asked the boomerang.

_"Brogan…the king of evil bats."_ The fairy's tone grew dark and serious. _"Created by the thoughts of an evil queen, Brogan became the king of bats. He and his children have caused nothing but trouble ever since they entered this forest."_

"Ever since I came to this forest he would talk to me and tell me to get out," Link told the fairy.

_"Maybe…maybe he thinks you're a threat. May he knows that you might be the one that could destroy him. Yes, that's it!"_ The fairy's voice sounded very cheerful now. _"You're the one that can kill Brogan!"_

Link looked at the fairy in shock. "What?"

_"Isn't it obvious? That's why Brogan doesn't want you here. He senses your power. It just proves it now because you killed his favorite son."_

"I-I don't think I can do it," Link said.

_"Link…you killed his son. Now he expects you to come and fight him. If you don't he will come after you when you are unprepared and will kill you."_

Link stilled looked unsure. Then the boomerang floated over and landed in his hands.

_"Here…I will assist you with your task,"_ The fairy said softly. _"That Brogan also killed some of my fairy friends out of rage. I will be the wind that gives you flight."_

"Um…I have no way to thank you if you help me," Link said to the boomerang.

_"Do not worry. If you kill Brogan, that will be more than enough to satisfy me. Now…go to that entrance straight ahead. Follow that path and soon, it'll lead you to Brogan's layer, the former spring of the temple."_

"Alright," Link nodded. "Thank you."

The glow from the boomerang faded and the breeze stopped. Link looked up at the entrance and began walking towards it, ready for whatever happens next.


	11. Monster in Waiting

**_Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana_**

**_Chapter Eleven: Monster in Waiting_**

* * *

Link walked up the steps of the tree temple that fairy sealed in the boomerang told him to go to. Brogan, the giant evil king of bats was said to be at the top of the temple that was inside the largest tree of Faron. The bat king came to Faron woods not long ago and conquered the temple as his own. His children, that were in the forest, scared off all the animals and kept visitors from entering. Anyone who entered were either killed by the bat children or brought to Brogan to be killed by him. Link thought he was very lucky to make it this far with only a few bruises and scratches.

The fairy told Link that when Brogan is killed, the forest will be put back in balance. That was something the forest definitely needed.

Link looked around and sniffed the air. The smell of death and decay were in the air, mixed with the scent of a large animal that had rolled in something foul. Link plugged his nose.

"This is disgusting…" Link said. "I thought this place would've been more peaceful…."

_"It was,"_ The fairy's voice said. Link looked down at the boomerang that was in his hand. A light green aura was emitted off of the smooth wood. _"It was a few weeks ago actually. I was floating around with some of my friends and all of a sudden, it was like the sun went out. Bats, in a huge black squeaking cloud, flew in the sky, blocking out the sun. They attack everyone and everything. I turned myself into a boomerang before it was too late. But my friends…they were murdered by the bats."_

The fairy paused. _"Then…I saw Brogan. He was the largest, ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life. He flew to the top of this temple and made his home in the sacred spring that rests at the top. Then, I was stuck in his favorite son and then you came and saved me."_

Link nodded. "Yeah…"

_"Link! We have to stop him!"_ The fairy's voice turned desperate almost. _"Then maybe life will return to the forest."_

Link smiled down at the boomerang. "Don't worry. I promise I will."

_"Thank you so much…Link, I hope you're prepared. We are very close to the sacred spring. They are at the top of these stairs."_

"Got it," Link said. "I'm coming Brogan…and I hope you're ready to die."

Link quickened his pace up the stairs. Then, he reached a large room. A large rock slate was in front of something or possibly an entrance. Sacred letters and magical symbols were on the door. Link looked at the door, disappointed.

"I can't move that thing," Link muttered discouragingly. "It's way to big…"

_"Have no fear, Link,"_ The fairy said. _"I know how to get in. Our ancestors placed this slate in front of the entrance to the sacred spring so no one worthy enough could get in freely. Just bring me to the rock and tap me on the large ring in the middle."_

Link nodded and walked up to the slate. Just as the fairy said, he tapped the end of the boomerang on the large circle. When the tip touched it, the sacred symbols began to glow and the ground began to shake. The slate began to fade away into the air. Link gazed in amazement as the rock vanished.

"Wow…" He muttered. "That's really cool."

_"Link! Focus!"_ The fairy shouted.

"Oh-Right!" Link said. He pulled out his sword and got his shield ready.

"I hope your ready you bat son-of-a-bitch," Link muttered as he ran into the entrance and entered the sacred spring.

The sacred spring was nothing like Link imagined. Instead of clear blue water, the water in the pool before him was a deep purple and gave off a toxic scent. The statue in the middle of the pool was covered with ivy and moss. The grass around the pool was dry and dying. Fallen wood, which came from a large hole near the top of the tree, littered the ground. Link looked around cautiously.

_"So…you finally made it here in one piece you little runt,"_ Brogan's voice entered the air. His voice sounded like chalk scraping a chalkboard. _"I'm shocked…my children should've eaten you alive."_

Link looked up and saw probably the ugliest thing his life. A large bat, about the size of a cottage house, let go of the ceiling and dropped onto the ground, causing a mini tremor on contact. He had large ear that stuck up a pushed in face. His long, sharp fangs were yellow. A large red pendant was around the monster's neck. This was no doubt the king of evil bats Brogan.

"You're children were no match for me. Neither will you."

"_I am nothing like my children!"_ Brogan shouted. _"They were not full-grown, where-as I am."_

Link's eyes narrowed at the ugly bat king.

_"I will kill you for slaughtering my precious children,"_ Brogan said, stretching out his wings and showing off the row of sharps teeth in his mouth. _"You and all of Faron will bow before me!"_


	12. Brogan Attacks!

**_Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana_**

**_Chapter Twelve: Brogan Attacks!_**

* * *

Brogan screeched and ascended into the air, high enough that he almost could touch the ceiling. Link readied his sword and look at the giant king of bats. There was no way he could get the ugly bat right now, he'd have to wait till Brogan goes down. But how long would that be?

Brogan laughed. _"Pesky human…there will be no way for you to hit me!"_

"Well yeah? Maybe if you get your ugly bat face down here, then maybe I could!" Link shouted up to the bat.

Brogan glared down at Link, clearly offended by the young human's insult. He screeched loudly and swan-dove down to the ground at an incredible speed. Before Link could be prepared, Brogan picked Link up with his mouth and began to shake him about. Link screamed in pain, the monster had bitten him hard in his torso area. Brogan began to fly back higher into the air. If he were to drop Link at such a height, the human would die no doubt about it.

Before Brogan could get to high, though, Link used his sword and slashed Brogan on the nose. Brogan roared in pain and opened his mouth, letting go of Link and dropping him to the ground. Thankfully, he landed in the murky water of the spring, which helped break his fall. After resurfacing and gasping for air, Link swam back to land. He crawled onto the earth and looked at the wound Brogan inflicted. The puncture wasn't too deep and it didn't hit a vital organ at least, but it stung worse than anything.

Link looked up at Brogan. "There's no way I'll be able to handle this…"

Suddenly, Link heard the familiar ring of a bell. He opened his saddlebag and pulled out the crystal ball that Teranika had given him. It was glowing immensely, even in the darkness of the room.

_"Link…Link? Can you here me?"_

It was Kallias' voice. It seemed to be coming from the bell. Link looked closely at it.

"Kallias!" Link shouted to the bell. "Is that you?"

_"Yes it is,"_ Kallias said, her voice becoming very cheerful. _"Are you okay?"_

"Yes I am. But how are you able to communicate with me through the bell?"

_"I guess that must be one of the special skills that it knows that Teranika didn't know about."_ Kallias paused then continued. _"Listen…I heard of the Legend of Brogan and I contacted you to tell you something."_

"How do you know I'm fighting him?"

Kallias giggled. "_The wind told me. I am a bird you know. Anyway, do you see how huge his ears are?"_

Link nodded. "Uh-huh."

_"Well…that's his weakness. His ears are so huge that they're very sensitive to anything. If you know a way in which to, you need to get him to the ground. Then, slash away at his ears."_

Link looked up Brogan's ears and then he took out the boomerang. Maybe that was the way to get him down. Links smiled and look back at the bell.

"Thank you Kallias! I owe you one!"

_"Well, you won't if you get killed! Good luck Link."_

And the bell stopped glowing. Link placed the bell back into his saddlebag and got the boomerang in his hand.

"Are you ready?" He asked the boomerang.

_"Ready when you are,"_ the boomerang said.

Wind began to whip around Link as the boomerang began to glow its light green color. Brogan hovered in the air for a couple of moments. The wind around Link began to grow stronger.

Brogan took off and swan-dove once again to hit Link. Now it was his chance. Link threw the boomerang at the bat. The boomerang had its own tornado surrounding it. As the boomerang came closer to him, Brogan stopped his initial attack and floated in air for a few moments until the boomerang, and the tornado around it, hit him in his massive chest. The tornado whipped the giant bat around and slammed him into the wall of the tree. Brogan squealed at the contact and flew to the ground, unconscious. When his body hit the ground, it caused a slight tremor but that didn't stop Link. He picked up the boomerang, which fell onto the ground and pulled out his sword. The young Ordonian ran up to the fallen bat and immediately began slashing away at his massive ears. The bat king screeched in pain, but couldn't do anything; his body was still in pain from the impact of hitting the wall.

Link continued to hack and slash at Brogan's large ears. Blood from the freshly made wounds spurted out and the bat king cried more. Then, Brogan's red eyes flashed open and sat up. He moved one of wings in Link's direction, to try to hit him, but Link was to quick and dodged the blow. Brogan screeched once again and flew back up into the air. Blood seemed to begin to rain down, as it was rain as the bat went back into the air.

_"Good job Link,"_ The fairy said cheerfully. "_If we do that one more time, Brogan will be felled, I think."_

Link nodded, wiping off some of the falling blood off of his face. He got the boomerang back in hand and gripped it tightly. The light green aura returned to the boomerang and the wind began to whip up around Link once again. Brogan, blinded by pain and anger, swan-dove once more down to the ground. Link threw the boomerang at the bat again. The tornado was around the boomerang again and, just like before, got Brogan in the chest. Brogan was whipped around and then crashed hard into the wall. The bat king fell to the ground and slammed hard into the earth.

Link picked up the boomerang once again and ran to the giant fallen bat, sword in hand. He ran up to the ears and began slashing at them once again. Brogan screamed in even more pain as Link viciously attacked the most sensitive place on his body. But Link showed no mercy to the evil bat king. He continued to attack the king until his ear became nothing more than just scraps of flesh. Now Brogan was too defenseless.

Brogan roared, a mixture of pain and anger towards Link. Now it was time to finish this demon. Link jumped high in to the air and came down onto Brogan's head, his blade pointed down to the brain. Link drove his sword through the skull of the beast and left it there for several moments. Brogan thrashed about violently on the ground, screaming and screeching in pain. _"CHHHHIIIILLLLLDDDRRRREEEENNNNN!!!!!!"_ he screeched.

Link removed the sword from the bat's head and jumped back far enough so the thrashing bat would harm him. Brogan lashed about for a few seconds then he began to begin to quiet down. The bat was lying in a pool of his own blood. The color was red but looked almost black and it gave off a foul scent. The bat looked up at Link, a nasty glare set on his face. Then, he gasped for air, his final breath. He released and lied still on the ground. It was clear now; the king of evil bats was dead.

Link took a sigh of relief and placed his sword in its sheath and his shield on his back. He walked up to the corpse of Brogan. The glare was still on his face.

Suddenly, Brogan's body began to be covered by a dark cloud. The cloud lingered for a little bit and Brogan seemed to become part of the cloud. It stayed and looked at Link for a moment, glaring at him with red eyes. Then it took off into the air and flew out of the sacred area of the Faron temple. Link watched it fly away into the horizon, to the direction of Alana. Then, he looked around the area of the Sacred Spring.

The area was restored to what it looked like before Brogan and his minions conquered it. The water of the spring was clear and blue and the statues in the water were cleaned and not covered in moss. The grass outside of the spring was green and lush again. But there was something odd in the grass, the place where Brogan's corpse used to be.

It was a piece of the mask Hana asked Link to retrieve. It was the bottom left part of the mask and it fit the left top part that Hana gave to Link. It was off-white and had a long part, like part of a snout of a dog was to wear it. Link walked over to the piece of mask and picked it up.

Suddenly, something in the spring began to glow. Link turned to the direction of the glowing and was amazed when the glowing began to take the shape of something. It was the shape of an otter floating over the clear water. The fur of the otter was white. There were gray spiral marking along its fur, on it's head and back. It had green eyes, a scar over its nose and a little feather trinket hanging from its ears. No doubt that this was an Alanian creature.

"Young youth for the village of Ordon," The creature spoke, her voice echoing as she spoke. She bowed her head respectively. "I am Aisliegh, a warrior formerly from Alana who now wanders the skies of Hyrule."

"Um…hi," Link greeted. "I'm Link. -Wait…you say you're from Alana? What do you mean 'now wanders the skies of Hyrule'?"

Aisliegh looked onward at Link, with no fear or any emotion in her face. "I lost my body not long ago and it was used for evil deeds for the Evil Queen. While I lost my body and it was destroyed by my friends, my soul was never able to find its way home to Alana."

Link looked down at the ground. This spirit was one of the poor souls captured and turned into a black cursed monster sent to attack Hyrule. This was his first time ever talking to the soul of a cursed monster.

Aisliegh continued. "The monster you just defeated, Brogan the King of Evil Bats, was created by the mind of an Evil Queen, the queen who captured me and stole my body. You have saved this part of Hyrule by slaying him and now Faron is forever in your debt."

Link grinned a little. "Um…it was nothing."

Aisliegh looked down at his hands and was looking at the mask piece. "He stole that piece of mask from within the temple and thought that could bring him more power. It did, but it also made go slowly insane. Link…this an instrument of great power I hope you know. Take good care of it."

"I will," Link promised. "But I'm looking for the other pieces. Do you know where the rest are?"

"I don't know about one piece, but I am certain that another piece lays in the sacred mountain temple that is near the Castle City of Hyrule."

"The mountains near the Castle City…" Link muttered. "Alright, thanks! But, ah…how can I get out of here?"

"The crystal bell you have…it is also a teleportation device."

Link took out the bell and looked at it. "It is?"

Aisliegh nodded. "Yes. It is one of its mysterious powers that it has."

The bell began to glow and it levitated out of Link's hands. It floated a few feet away from him it began to ring a small melody. Then, from underneath it, a blue glowing portal appeared.

"That must be it then…Thanks again Aisliegh."

"Link…before you go, I want you to promise me something. Please help my soul find its way home…I wish to return to Alana when all of this is done."

"Um…I don't know how but I will find a way. I promise."

"Thank you Link. May the ancients light the path before you…"

Then, Aisliegh and the light surrounding her disappeared. Link smiled and walked over to the glowing portal. He stepped into the blue glowing light and it surrounded him like a veil. He closed his eyes and then opened them, finding himself outside the entrance of the Faron Forest Temple.

Now, the forest seemed a lot more peaceful. Animals were already coming back and the sun could be seen through the trees now. Birds' chirping was heard in the distance. Epona was still at the entrance and was more than happy to see Link. She trotted up to him and rubbed her head into his chest.

"Hi Epona," Link said cheerfully to her. "I missed you too."

He grabbed the crystal ball, which was floating outside when he exited the temple, and placed it into his saddlebag. Then, he pulled out the boomerang.

_"Thank you so much for helping me Link,"_ The fairy said. _"Now the forest is at peace thanks to you."_

"So…I'm guessing you want to stay here," Link asked, a little bit of disappointment in his voice. He knew the fairy would probably wanted to stay home and rebuild her home.

_"Are you kidding?"_ The fairy asked. _"I want to go with you! Fighting Brogan was way more fun than I expected and I'm sure you're going to do more of it."_

Link smiled. "So you want to come with?"

_"Yes,"_ the fairy said. "_I will join you on your adventure! Let's go to the Mountain Temple!"_

Link grinned and jumped onto the back of Epona. He kicked her into a gallop and they ran out of the Faron forest. Now, it was off to the Mountain Temple of Hyrule.


	13. Mountain Temple

**_Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana_**

**_Chapter Thirteen: The Mountain Temple of Hyrule_**

* * *

Epona cantered across the field quickly. It was high noon and has been two days since Link left the Sacred Forest Temple that was in Faron. Since he left the temple, things seemed to be going back to normal to the regions near Faron and Ordon. Animals and merchants were returning to those parts after the disappearance of Brogan and his bat children. But that didn't mean that the other regions of Hyrule were safe or peaceful.

Rumors of disappearing children were beginning to appear. Stories said that the children were playing in the fields and they would see a ferret with scarred and battered ears. The children would run after the ferret, try to catch so they could bring it home to treat it's wounds, but the ferret would run towards the mountains. The ferret would run into the temple that was located inside the mountain and, naturally, the children followed. What happened next, no one would know of.

After hearing these odd stories and since he was on his way to the very same temple already, Link decided that he would look for the children during the voyage through the temple. Hopefully, he will even find a new weapon to add for his arsenal.

Link smiled lightly and looked at Epona, patting her neck as she ran. "We're almost there. I can see the mountains getting closer."

He passed a sign not long ago that said that the temple entrance was only about two miles away, so he knew he was on the right path. But he was curious to see what he would find inside of the mountain temple. A weapon? A piece of the mask that Hana needs to give to Keita? A new foe? Certain death?

Link shuddered at the thought. There was no way he wanted to die now. He made a promise, several promises at that, that he'd come back to Alana alive and with the mask fully intact. But he remembered what the spirit of the Alanian warrior, Aisliegh said about the mask. That it had great and devasting power or something like that. Maybe he could find out more about before he could give to Hana as well.

Epona nickered and slowed to a walk, stopping Link's train of thought. He looked onward and saw the entrance to the mountain temple. It was just a simple, square opening that you could see in a cave, but two torches were lit in front of the entrance. Epona quickened to a trot as she climbed up the rocky inclination to the entrance. Once they got to the flat surface where the entrance was, Link swung his leg over and jumped off of Epona. Epona shook her head, to get the dirt off of her. Link patted her gently on the neck.

"I'll be as quick as I can, okay girl?" Link said to his faithful horse.

Epona responded by stomping on the ground and licking Link's hand. Link chuckled and patted her on the neck once more before having to go into the mountain's sacred temple. He walked away from Epona and took out his sword and placed the wooden shield onto his right arm. He walked cautiously into the cave.

Thankfully, unlike the Faron temple, there were lit torches in the entryway that led up to the main chamber of the temple. Link thought this was good; at least he didn't have to use any of his lantern fuel here.

Link followed tunnel till he came out into a huge opening, a shrine-like area. Link looked around. There were fancy looking rugs hanging on the stone walls and expensive looking lanterns hung from the ceiling. Thankfully, those were lit too. But as Link looked around he noticed something a normal person couldn't handle. The walls were stained with blood and bones riddled the floor of the room. Some of the rugs were ripped apart and a few of the lanterns were lying on the ground, the glass inside of it shattered and littered the floor. Link had to be careful of where he stepped, not wanted to get glass stuck on his boots. He looked around the room and gulped.

"This is…scary," He muttered under his breath. Then, something caught the corner of his eyes.

It was a little ferret or weasel. The creature had scars on its face and one of its ears appeared to be bitten off. Its brown fur was matted and dirty. It looked at him with dreary brown eyes and squealed, as if it was injured.

This is the little creature that led the children to this place. Link realized it because of the scars on its tiny face. It did look like something that could wrench the hearts of someone young. Maybe if he followed the little thing, it could lead him to where the children were.

Link walked cautiously up to the weasel. But when the weasel saw him, it scurried a crossed the room and stood in front of the door. It stood up on its hind legs and looked at Link. Link laughed at the little creature.

"You think you can outrun me and fool me?" Link asked the weasel. He walked over to the other side the room. "Think again, furry one!"

But as Link got close to the weasel, the weasel scurried down the hallway it stood in front of. Link narrowed his eyes. Now he was beginning to get annoyed of the little thing. The weasel was at the end of the hall, near the light at the end. Link ran down the hallway.

"Alright you little monster…I'm going to get you now!"

But as Link ran into the new room, he noticed that the weasel disappeared and wasn't in this room. He looked around his new surroundings. The walls were still rock, but these one were more jagged, unlike the ones in the entrance room. However, like the other room, blood was smeared on the walls and shattered, yet still working, lanterns hung from the ceiling. Link looked around the room cautiously, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the injured weasel. It was standing on a rock, looking at Link with now red glowing eyes. Then, he heard a voice echo around him.

"_HAHAHA_!" The voice laughed. It seemed to belong to a male and was high and screechy. "_Human foolish and come. Here to steal treasure. You no steal treasure! I eat you. Like mother eat the human kids."_

"Mother?" Link repeated. He pulled out his sword and placed his shield out. "Show yourself!"

"_I here_!" That was when the little weasel began to glow a dark purple color. Link eyes widened in shock and awe as the weasel began to grow. It was now larger than him, a long body and all. It gained two sets of red glowing eyes, an extra pair of front legs and an added row of sharp teeth. The monstrosity looked at Link and licked its lips with a forked-tongue.

"_Me kill you. You die and me eat. Mother be most happy then!"_

"I am not going to die today," Link said definitely as he gazed at hideous creature.

The monster roared a screechy, terrible roar and charged toward Link with amazing speed. Link was amazed at the speed of the creature and was about as good as dead when the creature was close to him. The monster tried to smash Link into the ground with one of it's clawed paws, but Link jumped out the way in the nick of time. A claw grazed past Link's arm and even that felt very painful.

Link placed a hand on the scrap that felt like it was on fire.

"Note to self; don't let that thing touch you," Link muttered to himself.

He looked up from the scrap and saw the monster running towards him once again. Link jumped out of the way before the beast could hit him. He knew that the monster was too fast for him to hit with the sword. Then, he looked up at the ceiling. The lanterns could probably do the trick, especially since he had the Boomerang of Gales as an ally. He took out the boomerang as the creature charged towards him once again. He back up quickly to the jagged wall of the room as the monster advanced. Then, before the monster could strike, he moved out of the way and the monster ran into the wall.

As the monster fell unconscious temporarily, Link charged up the Boomerang and looked up at the lantern that was above the monster. The monster was now beginning to stir. Link quickly hurled the Boomerang at the lantern. The weapon, wrapped around by a mini tornado, crashed into the lantern and the glass and metal instrument fell hard and fast onto the monster. The creature squealed in pain and the heavy lantern that was as big as it's head fell onto it. The glass shattered and stabbed into the creature's neck and the back of its head. The monster began to struggle but the more it struggled, the deeper the glass dug. Link watched in terror and in awe as the monster tried to prolong it's life, even though death was certain. The creature was now in a pool of it's own blood. It tossed its head and blood splattered onto Link. Shortly, the creature began to settle, it's red eyes ceasing their glowing and beginning to dull. It lowered itself onto the ground and twitched violently before lying motionless and breathless. The creature was dead now.

Link took a deep breath and placed the boomerang back into his saddlebag he looked at the dead monster and recalled it saying something about a 'treasure'.

He looked around the room and a chest caught his eye. It was in between two pointed rocks but it could be reached. Link walked up to the chest and opened it. Inside of it, Link saw something that shocked him. It was a bow and quiver. The bow was craved of fine wood and the quiver was made of leather. He knew how to arch and he was fairly good at it. He reached into the chest and pulled out both. A smile came across his lips and he wanted to scream for joy.

He placed the quiver around his body and placed the bow under his shield. Suddenly, he felt as if the ground shook.

"_My son_!" A voice shouted. "_Where is my son_?!"

The voice was harsh and seemed to belong to a female's. This must be the "mother" of the monster Link just killed. Link saw a staircase that could possibly lead up to where this mother dwelled. She might even know what has happened to the children. But she was probably as hostile as the son. But she might even be holding a part of the mask that Link needed to complete. Link looked at the staircase and walked towards it, ready to face whatever creature was at the top.


	14. The Evil Queen Weasel Attacks!

**_Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana_**

**_Chapter Fourteen: The Evil Queen Weasel Attacks!_**

* * *

Link hurried up the stone staircase of the Mountain temple. As he ascended up the staircase, he could here the harsh, heavy breathing of a creature above. 'That must be this "mother"', Link thought as he quickened his pace. He quickly pulled the sword out of its sheath and took out his shield. He glanced at his new weapon, the bow and quiver full of arrows, which he received after defeating the deformed monster that was once a tiny weasel. Link shuddered at the thought of the warped looking monster and repressed the memory of it. Now, he was off to face its mother and he was afraid of what she'd look like.

At the top of the staircase, was a huge room, almost the size of a mini-field. There was a large hole at the top of the room, and it let in enough sunlight to light-up most of the room. Large rocks, even bigger than Link and Epona, were scattered across the room. On the stonewalls, were cave paintings written in a language that Link couldn't understand. He assumed that the text was ancient Hylian and continued to examine the room.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow move. Link quickly turned around, sword in striking position. But there was nothing there. He walked to the center of the room, taking absolute caution in each step.

"_So…you come to my lair you filthy mortal?"_ A low, female voice growled. Link was surprised at the sound and jumped, turning to the direction of the voice. But once again, nothing was there.

"Where are you?" Link muttered.

"_You mortals are all the same.._." The voice continued, as if not listening to Link. "_Filthy and rude…always intruding_."

"Show yourself!" Link shouted, turning around to the sound of the voice, only to find nothing again.

Then, he heard claws skidding on the rock ground of the room. He turned around and saw a giant weasel with dark brown, matted, dirty fur. This weasel was far bigger than the deformed monster Link fought; twice the size by far. But this weasel looked more traditional. But as the beast came closer, Link noticed the deep scars over the monster's nose, eyes and cheeks. One of its ears was missing and the other was chewed and shredded to bits. Its red eyes narrowed at Link.

"_Humph…you are an ugly one_," The Weasel growled. Her low voice echoed around the room. "_But I think your soul will work for me_."

"Soul?" Link repeated the word.

The weasel slammed one of her clawed paws hard onto the ground, causing the earth to shake a little. "_I am Anzu, the Weasel Queen and soul stealer. By the name of my master, the Evil Queen of the Dusk World, I will steal your soul and give it to her as a gift_."

"I didn't ask for your name…" Link muttered darkly.

"_Speak louder, mortal scum_!" Anzu snapped. "_I can't read your lips when you mutter things, boy_."

Link looked at her and cocked his head to the side. Is this monster…deaf? Figures, her ears look like they haven't worked for her in ages.

Anzu shook her head and chuckled. "_Well then…I guess it's time for me to steal your soul then, boy_." She crouched her body down low to the ground, licking her lips, exposing her yellow fangs. "_Goodbye human_…"

That when Anzu charged at Link. For a large creature, she was exceptionally fast. Link could feel the ground shake with each stride she took. When she got close in striking distance, Link quickly rolled out of the way. Anzu stretched out a clawed paw and struck one of the rocks. She hissed as her claws left a good, deep mark on the rock. Link was lucky to dodge that blow; this monster can clearly take his head off with just one blow of her paw. Her tail lashed furiously and she turned to face Link. She snarled at him and crouched once again. Link got ready to dodge again but noticed that Anzu was doing something different.

She ran behind the rock that she scratched and jumped on top of it. She opened her mouth widely and let out a horrible laugh that made Link's skin crawl.

"_Guess what human_," She cackled. "_I'm not just a hapless, old and deaf weasel_." She raised her tail high into the air. "_But I have been gifted with the affinity of earth."_

With that and before Link could react, Anzu's tail slapped the side of the rock that Link couldn't see and the force actually made the rock fly towards Link with incredible velocity and force. Link's eyes widened in disbelief as the rock flew towards to him. When he finally realized that it was time to get out of the way. He quickly lunged out of the way, just soon enough to get out of the way before the rock slammed into the wall.

Link looked quickly at the rock and then looked Anzu. The weasel queen was now standing on a different rock and she had a frighteningly evil face on.

"_Pretty cool, huh_?" Anzu asked musically. She lifted her tail again and Link's eyes went wide.

He had to think of something or this monster was going to turn him into nothing but a paper. But then, he looked over at his new weapon, the bow and quiver. Anzu, being deaf, needs her eyes to she what's going on. A small smile played across Link's lips.

"_Why are you smiling, boy_?" Anzu asked. "_This'll wipe your smile off_…"

Once again, Anzu slammed her tail against the backside of the rock and the rock went hurtling towards Link. Link jumped out of the way again. But as he moved, he placed his sword into its sheath and took out the bow. He watched as Anzu jumped towards the next large next to her. He placed an arrow onto the string and pulled back, ready to aim for Anzu's eyes. Once Anzu sat perfectly on the rock and he could get a steady shot, Link fired the arrow.

When he heard Anzu screech in anguish and fell off of the rock onto the ground. Link ran over to her, with another arrow ready to fire for the other eye. When Link was close enough, Link saw the arrow did hit her eye and clearly, she didn't like it. She threw her head around angrily and thrashed her body just as violently, trying to get the arrow out. Link was close enough to fire, but the target was moving way too quickly for him to get a perfect shot. If he wasted arrows, that would prove to be fatal. But if he didn't shoot, he would be cursed by Anzu's violent thrashing.

He had to take the risk. Link pulled back and fired. It didn't hit her eye or any part of her body at all. He took out another arrow, pulled back and fired. This time, he got her shoulder but a little arrow like that and a large monster like Anzu, he knew it would affect her at all. He took out another arrow, pulled back and fired. This arrow was a little closer, got her in the neck but that didn't slow her down either.

Link took out one more arrow and placed it on the strong. He waited this time, waited till Anzu would turn her head towards him. When she did, he fired and this time, finally, the arrow went into her good eye. She screamed even louder this time and her thrashing became more violent and even began to move towards Link. Link backed up to furthest part of the room, far away from the raging weasel queen. But as he moved away, he noticed that Anzu was beginning to slow down her moving. A puddle of blood was now beginning to form around her. Link could hear her panting heavily.

Link put the bow away and took out his sword. Anzu fell to the ground and he could hear her breathing becoming weaker. He saw her sides heaved once more, but then stopped moving entirely. Link walked up cautiously to the body of the Weasel Queen. He was shocked that such a creature could lose so much blood through her eyes alone. Link took in a deep breath and turned his back to the corpse of the Weasel Queen.

But then, he heard the horrible cackle and he turned around to see Anzu, standing perfectly fine on her four legs. The arrows were still stuck in her eyes, as well as the two arrows stuck in her body, and her face was now wet with blood.

"_Heh heh…You think two little arrows could kill a beast like me?"_ Anzu asked evilly. "_You may have blinded me now, but I can feel the vibrations of the earth. Everywhere you step, I can feel it…You're better off dead now, mortal_."

Link gritted his teeth and got into his fighting position. Anzu walked up to the nearest rock and jumped onto it.

"_Now…you will see more of my power…so much power that you'll regret coming up here to see me_," Anzu sneered. "_After I stole the souls of several Alanian fools and some people of this pathetic land my power doubled. The children's youthful souls provided enough nourishment to support both me and my idiotic son. Now…you will feel my fury_!"

Anzu jumped behind the rock and Link couldn't see her anymore. Link didn't know what the giant weasel was planning, but he had to be ready for whatever she was about to throw out at him.

Suddenly, Link heard a loud crashing sound, turned around and saw the Weasel Queen crashing head on into a rock, breaking that and charging towards Link. The rock didn't even seem to affect her anyway. She charged toward Link at an incredible speed. Being both deaf and blind now, she could see if things through vibrations in the earth. She could only see if things were on the ground, moving…Link's eyes widened as he got an idea.

When Anzu was close enough for her to lash a paw out at him, Link jumped up into the air and landed on her outstretched paw. He only had one opportunity to do this or he would be as good as dead. Once his boots landed on her coarse fur, he ran up the arm till he was in striking distance close enough to her massive head. And as fast as the whole plan unfolded, he quickly threw his sword at Anzu's head and the blade stuck hit, landing in her temple.

She screeched in horrible pain and began to struggle. Link jumped off of the beast and ran towards the other side of the room.

"_You horrible, horrible human_!" Anzu screeched. Anzu thrashed her head about, trying to remove the weapon from her head. But she couldn't get it removed. Soon, blood was beginning to pool around her. She tossed her head side to side, sending blood onto the rocks and wall of the large room. Link stood behind the rock, so he wouldn't get drenched in blood.

Anzu began to take loud, labored breaths and Link could hear her body falling onto the ground. Link took a step out to see the Queen Weasel take one last breath and had a small spasm before lying on the ground motionless. She was dead; the monstrous weasel was dead now.

Link walked over to the body and removed the sword that was lodged into head. He shook the blood off of it before returning it to its sheath. Then, as Link backed away from the corpse, a dark cloud entered the room through the large hole in the roof. Link noticed the glowing red eyes of Brogan as it settled onto the body of Anzu. After it rested on the weasel queen for a few moments, another pair of red eyes joined the dark cloud. It was Anzu's. The pairs of glowing, evil red eyes glared ominously at Link for a moment and then went up into the air and soared quickly towards the direction of Alana. Link watched the dark cloud move away until it was gone from sight. He looked over to where Anzu's body was and saw that it wasn't there anymore.

But he did see something else instead. He saw a tiny, off-white object lying on the ground. He walked up to the object and saw that it was actually one of the lower parts of the mask. Anzu was one of the monster's holding a piece of the mask Hana wanted. Link smiled and picked up the lower left portion of the mask.

Then, something began to glow. Link caught it by the corner of his eye, turned and saw that the rock that Anzu crashed through was now glowing brightly. The light began to take the shape of a giant bull creature. The bull had white fur, large horns and a golden ring through its nose. It had blue markings on its body in the shape of spirals and crosses. There was a blue wreath around its neck, with what appeared to be frozen crystals along the tips of the blue foliage. Link could feel a cold, winter's draft coming from the bull. There was no doubt that this was a spirit that came from Alana.

"_I am named Tieve_," The bull said with a deep, smooth male voice. "_I am a warrior who hailed from the land known as Alana. You, young Hylian, what are you named?_"

Link looked at the bull. "I'm Link."

The bull bowed his head. "_Greetings, Link. I was once a warrior from Alana who lost his body. Now, my soul wanders the land of Hyrule. You have succeeded in defeating the monster born of an Evil Queen's tears; the demon who took the name Anzu. Upon her defeat, you have freed my captured soul, as well as the souls of the children she had captured as well_."

"Wait! Will the children be okay?"

Tieve nodded his head. "_Yes, now they roam the skies with the lost souls of Alana, who search desperately for their homeland_."

"Why did Anzu need their souls? I understand that she needed them for her master but-"

"_She needed them for nourishment, for power_," Tieve explained. "_Souls provided the Weasel Beast power and helped satiate her affinity of the earth. She prayed to get that tremendous power and her master and creator, the Evil Queen of the Dusk World, granted her the power. When she arrived at this area and decided to make it her home. When she arrived, she found one of the pieces of mask and that gave her some power. But she wanted more…so she sent her son, disguised as an injured weasel, to lure victims here for her_."

Tieve looked up at the sky. "_But the souls of the children were too much for her to handle and then you arrived. Indeed, she was powerful, but thanks to you and the weapon you found, you were able to vanquish her. Upon her death, the children's souls were freed_."

Link smiled faintly and nodded. Then, he looked down at the mask fragment in his hand. "Excuse me…the last spirit I talked to said that these mask pieces held devasting power or something. Do you know more about it?"

Tieve's dark eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "_Indeed, Aisliegh told you that the mask was very powerful, but she did not tell you exactly how powerful it is_."

Link tilted his head to the side. "_The mask gives power to anyone that is from either Alana or the Dusk World. I do not know who initially created it, but I know that even the tiniest fragment of it can give people power. Why are you searching for such a powerful instrument boy_?"

"One of my friends I met in Alana wanted me to go out and look for it," Link told the giant bull. "She said that she'd give to Queen Keita and said that the mask would help her fight whatever was happening to her people."

"_Who exactly asked to go on this quest_?" Tieve asked, his eyes scanning Link's face.

"A little fox named Hana," Link answered.

"_The daughter of Turrean…I see. She is a good kid with a level head on her shoulders. She can be trusted and she said she was giving it to Keita._"

"Okay…I still need one more mask piece. Do you know where the last one is?"

"_It resides in the Goron providence, Death Mountain. A monster with four arms has token over the mines and forced the Gorons out to the village near it. I believe that monster holds the fourth and final piece of mask_."

"Alright…thank you," Link said, bowing his head politely.

He took the crystal ball out of his saddlebag and placed the mask piece inside of it. He shook the bell and lifted it up in the air. The bell levitated and began to release an echoing harmonic ring. Below it, on the ground, a light blue portal appeared.

_"Be careful Link…and good luck to you_," Tieve said faintly, before disappearing from the room. The cold that surrounded him had disappeared and any trace of the spirit vanished. Link shrugged and walked to the portal.

He was confused more than ever now about the mask he was sent to retrieve. He understood that it was powerful, but there were still many mysteries about the strange object. Hopefully, when he went to Death Mountain, the mysteries about the mask would be uncovered. Link stepped onto the glowing blue portal and was teleported to the outside of the Mountain Temple.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all for the hits! Please review and no flames.**


End file.
